Stranded
by SleepDeprivedFemale
Summary: Black Star and Kid find themselves mysteriously stranded on an island called Atlantis. While Black Star wakes up in a golden village and is hailed as a Hero and of 'love, unyielding', Kid awakes underwater in a lifeless stygian temple and demanded of 'murder, the inevitable'. The two must reconcile or everyone will find themselves dragged deep into the depths of a dying island.
1. Stranded

**So, long story short, this was supposed to be my second Resbang 2018 entry, to be posted in its entirety a couple of days ago. However, it's still not finished, I officially dropped out, so now I will be posting the story chapter-by-chapter every Tuesday. At the time of writing, 12 chapters have been written, and the estimated total number of chapters is 20, though it may vary.**

 **This story also comes with a playlist because I couldn't resist, either go to AO3 for full links (as well as a less frenetic summary), or search youtube for Stranded 2018 (Soul Eater).**

 **As this site is limited in its relationship options, I want to make clear that this story will contain Queerplatonic Kid x Black Star. Content Warnings include violence, attempted murder of major character, lots of off-screen murder, pretty much in line with what I usually write.**

 **In any case, enjoy.**

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 **Waking Up.**

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 **Chapter 1: Stranded**

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Kid woke up underwater.

For a few moments, the Grim Reaper remained suspended in the liquid —freshwater, he soon realized— confused as to how he ended up here in the first place.

Kid looked around, only to see black. No light penetrated the cold and still water around him. There were no directions; no up, down or sideways to speak of. There was only darkness, as if he'd been dumped in the abyss of the Mariana trench.

However, no matter the utter darkness of his surroundings, Kid couldn't be that deep underwater. If he was, surely his body would have been crushed by the immense pressure, which would at minimum have woken him up to say the least. So, if Kid wasn't that deep, he should be able to swim up and reach the surface reasonably fast.

Problem was, Kid had no idea which way was up. No matter how still, unnaturally so, the water was, he couldn't trust that the direction he was facing when he had woken up was the way to surface.

Technically, Kid could just pick a direction and see where that ended up. Either the pressure would increase, which would mean that he was heading further down, or he would eventually reach the surface. Unless Kid moved sideways, in which case, there would be an imperfection within his movements, a tilt that would lead him diagonally further up or into the depths below.

Truth be told, Kid didn't worry about his situation. Being a Grim Reaper, he didn't exactly need to breathe, but it was a habit. Add to that a similar lack of sustenance, whether that be food or water, Kid could take his time to explore the mysterious stygian waters. Yet...

Why was Kid here?

Last thing he remembered was being in the Death Room, going over some admission forms for the new semester. It had been a quiet night, hell, a quiet month. The only irregularity Kid could recall was feeling like he was being called, only to head to the Death Room's mirror and be met with white static. What could be causing this cosmic equivalent of a prank call Kid had no idea, and he had dismissed it as a 'glitch', as if his newly-acquired powers were cramping.

No matter what was going on, Kid had to reach the surface and get some more information on where he was. The sooner the better, since if the Grim Reaper, of all entities, was transported without his knowledge or consent then there were other powerful agents at play.

Mentally cursing since he was unable to physically do so, Kid closed his eyes and thought.

Was it his imagination, or was he moving?

Opening his eyes, Kid only saw black. Of course. Even if he moved, Kid couldn't see through the utter darkness that permeated these waters.

So the question remained; how to tell which way was up?

His first thought was to exhale and follow any bubbles that appeared. Though there was barely any air left in his lungs, Kid forced himself to exhale to the point of discomfort.

A few tiny air bubbles came out and Kid followed in their direction. Around him, the water remained as lightless as before.

The higher Kid rose the warmer the water became, going from icy to tolerable. During his ascent, Kid accidentally veered off and hit a wall, a boundary. He felt its smooth surface interrupted by intricately carved shapes and designs, clearly an unnatural occurrence. Someone had carved these.

He rose from the water with a gasp, breathing in cold stale air. He used the carved stone edge to bring himself out, coughing out any stray water that had found its way into his lungs.

Wringing his clothes, Kid looked around, eager to get some semblance of his surroundings…

Only to be met with darkness, again.

Resisting the urge to curse with his newfound ability to speak, Kid rose and narrowed his eyes. Despite the lack of light, Kid could roughly make out shapes, one darker than the other.

He looked down. The water from where he'd emerged stood still, as if it hadn't been disturbed at all. The wall Kid had used to get up curved, making the water part of a giant pool, its edges etched with elaborately carved stone slabs. Other than the pool, the area was empty, made up only of a uniform polished stone floor. It was likely there was some sort of ceiling obscured by the abyss that engulfed this place, one Kid couldn't make out yet.

"Hello?" Kid called out, his voice echoing.

No response.

"Is anyone here?" Kid called out again, disheartened when his voice echoed again with no response.

Since he was running out of options, Kid activated his Soul Perception, expecting it to come up empty-

A soul. A human soul. On the other side of the pool.

Kid ran along the edges of the pool, steps echoing like thunder in the complete silence of the area. Using his Soul Perception as a guide, he stopped a short distance from the body, slowly inching closer, able to make out few details in the dark.

There was a fallen body, thin but longer than that of a tall adult human, entirely covered by thick dark robes. Very still...

The middle area of the body slightly shifted, rising then falling moments after, before repeating the motion.

They were breathing, Kid realised, which meant they were alive, but unconscious.

Kid reached out, hands about to reach one of the edges of the multitudes of robes when he reconsidered.

Even if stable and relatively unharmed, Kid shouldn't disturb them; he might make their situation worse. As a Grim Reaper, he couldn't exactly call himself an expert in how to treat people.

Kid looked at the soul again. It was blue, similar to any other human soul, though slightly larger. Its familiar presence reassured Kid that he wasn't dealing with some major unknown force. For now. Still though, that only raised more answers about where Kid had found himself into.

As Kid shifted his attention elsewhere, he unconsciously brought his arms around himself. There was something… familiar about this place that set Kid on edge. Like a cackling fireplace in a freezing winter night, Kid found himself at ease with the darkness, the still water and complete silence. Perhaps too comfortable, the Grim Reaper noted with rising dread.

Something was off about this place.

Something terrible had happened here.

He should get out of here.

Turning away from the unconscious body and the pool, Kid walked in a random direction. Soon, he came up against a colossal wall, made up of the same smooth stone as the floor, as dark as everything around it.

So, Kid was in some sort of building. How old the building was, he couldn't tell. There were no obvious signs of wear like moss or missing parts of stone; in fact, the wall and floor were unnaturally smooth and each carving in them had exquisite preserved details. Yet it was that very same seeming perfection that made this place feel like an ancient abandoned library.

Frustrated, Kid activated his Soul perception again. This time though, he expanded his reach, causing him to lose complete focus of his physical surroundings as his vision was engulfed by true black, leaving behind any semblance of space or being. The blue unconscious soul was the first one to show up, and then his vision remained black until…

"Black Star."

A familiar soul showed up in his vision. It was very far away, probably outside this mysterious building and Kid, though disoriented and lost, made a beeline for him.

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Black Star woke up with the sun in his eyes.

"He's awake!"

The voice was as bright as the sun currently blinding Black Star, full of energy and enthusiasm, accompanied by equally excited whispers.

Black Star shielded his eyes from the sun, blinking to clear the spots. When he opened them again his face was inches away from a laughing bronze mask. "Merry morning, Champion!"

Instincts taking over, Black Star's punched the mask, sending it and its owner flying back and over the tiny white plateau they were in.

Actually, upon closer inspection it seemed Black Star was on some sort of roof. He spied other buildings with similar roofs around him, most of them simple rectangles with flat roofs and uneven walls plastered with multiple layers of white paint. What little ground Black Star could see was covered in well-worn cobblestone, with the occasional weed or flower growing through the cracks. Someone smarter than him in this, like Maka, Tsubaki, or Kid, would say that the architecture was of a 'Cycladic influence' or something smart like that. All Black Star could really think of saying would be that it looked pretty.

"Aha!" came the same voice somewhere below Black Star, not having lost a hint of their previous enthusiasm. "The Champion punched me!"

An airy laugh came from behind him and Black Star whipped around, fists ready.

And froze when he saw his diminutive 'opponent'.

A being a bit shorter than Black Star, covered head to toe in light-colored and heavily-decorated robes and with a mask similar to the one Black Star had punched before, jumped up and down like an excited child.

"Punch me next, Champion!" came a high-pitched voice as the being hopped circles around Black Star.

The hopping person's mask was made of white marble and depicted a man with a pointy nose, curly hair and an equally wild and uncombed beard. The eyes were mere holes, while the mouth, contorted into the semblance of a toothless grin, also had a hole. Strangely enough, Black Star couldn't see skin or anything other than darkness in the holes of the mask.

"No, me first!" came another voice as another being - _where were these things coming from?_ \- joined in and circled him with a laugh. "Punch me first!" Their clay mask was more crudely-made, depicting a woman with thick tied-back hair, giant earrings and with the same empty dark holes on its eyes and mouth.

The two beings kept circling Black Star, much to his frustration, still asking to be punched for some reason.

Oh well, since they asked for it…

Black Star placed one foot back for better support, drew back his hand into a fist. His muscles tensed, but he forced some of the tension away; he'd just have to make it soft enough so they wouldn't get seriously hurt.

"Now hold on there, Champion," came another voice as a third robed being, this one taller than the others and Black Star rose up from a small hole at the corner of the roof. "There'll be plenty of fighting later." Black Star froze, as the two smaller being paused and looked at the taller figure expectantly. "You two young ones, run along now."

With plenty of giggles the two smaller figures headed to the hole in the roof, connected to the ground by a wooden vertical staircase and slid down.

His confusion growing by the second, Black Star looked over the new arrival. This being was completely covered in robes as well, though their color was slightly darker and primarily made of red shades. Their mask was made of a shining silver and carefully crafted into the visage of a face Black Star could only describe as a 'boring-ass philosopher'.

"Uh…" Black Star began, curious if this one would ask him to punch them as well.

The figure spread their arms —or what Black Star supposed were arms— as if waiting for embrace. "Hurrah!" they shouted, voice reverberating through the hilly alley-filled landscape. "The Champion is here!"

Like a wave, multiple cheers and yells came from below, so loud Black Star almost lost his balance. Carefully going towards the edge of the roof, Black Star peered down and…

He was on a hill. Specifically, he was on a building built on a hill, the highest point he could see around him. Below him were throngs of more robe-covered masked beings, looking like ants filtering through their colony's narrow pathways as they moved around the building Black Star was in.

This was…

"Hell yeah!" Black Star shouted as the crowd's cheers intensified upon seeing his face. Finally, some recognition!

Looking back at the roof, the tall robed figure had now retracted his hands, their mask facing Black Star.

"Uh, not that I don't like this, but where am I?" Last he remembered, Black Star had trained then gone for a good night's sleep, collapsing on his bed like a log.

"You're home, Champion," the tall figure happily explained in a way that made Black Star only have more questions.

Also, 'Champion'? It was one of the humbler titles Black Star would accept, but it still didn't explain where he was or how he got here.

"Who are you?" Black Star tried again.

"We're followers of the light!"

"The what now?"

"The light- come, see!" Black Star peered over the throng of people on the ground. "No, the other side!"

Black Star headed to the other side of the roof, following after the figure, and froze.

The sight before him was _paradise_.

Two cliffs made up the two sides of the town that faced the sea, though occasionally they sloped down into beaches where worn but well-cared for small fish boats rested on golden sand and crystal blue water. Where the two cliffsides should have met was a bridge-like patch of land leading to a wide meadow turned into fertile farmland. On its edges where the island finally needed, there were palm trees, aged cypresses, and a multitude of fruit trees with supple pickings, from a tiny tomato plant to a gigantic jackfruit trees.

"Woah," was all Black Star could say.

The tall figure gave him a small bow. "This is our land."

"It's pretty neat," Black Star said with a nod.

Besides just being pretty to look at, the sight also answered one of Black Star's many questions; he was on island. How he had gotten there was another matter that he'd figure out eventually.

Deciding to do another survey of the land, Black Star turned around to see the other side of the island and paused again. "Uh…"

Though the land that stretched out of the village was made up of hills with occasional patches of small temperate forests, the end of the island opposite of the village was another matter entirely.

The land sloped up into a mountain range that pierced the clouds. The ground was infertile and composed of grey and black stone. Steep jagged cliffs made up the side that faced the island, whereas the rest of the region was a chaotic sprawl of smaller mountainsides and canyons.

"The darklands," the tall figure said in a low voice as it walked next to Black Star.

Yeah, that'd be a pretty fitting name for that place alright.

Pointing in the distance, Black Star asked; "What's that place?"

At first glance, Black Star thought the region he was pointing at was a very unusually shaped mountain, made up of an almost vertical ascent into a pyramid top. Yet, the more he looked at it the more it stuck out, like a pimple. It was made up entirely of black stone and its almost vertical walls looked man-made, along with its multiple needle-like ends.

It was a building, Black Star realized. A building of cyclopean proportions judging by a wide hole at its base that must have been the entrance.

"The Temple," the tall figure replied, any and all enthusiasm gone from its voice. "A dark place."

"Cause it's in the darklands?"

The figure gave him a long look. Or more accurately, their mask did.

Then, their frame shook. "Hah." They shook again. "Ahahaha, great joke Champion!"

Black Star didn't mean it as a joke.

"Oh, but be cautious, Champion. They are plotting something," the figure said good-naturedly. "The followers of darkness always plot something."

Huh, that sounded ominous. But at the same time…

"Uh, how did I get here?" Black Star asked as he scratched his head. "And why am I here?"

The figure put their hands up and another cheer reverberated through the crowds below. "Oh, Champion, you heeded our calls and arrived at our most desperate-!"

Wait, these bozos where the reason Black Star was stuck in this weird island?! Oh, Black Star was so ready to punch this dude and demand they get him home right now-!

"And you shall depart us after your generous act of defending us against the darklands' inevitable attack!" the robed figure finished its announcement with another wave of cheering.

Wait hold on.

"Attack?"

"Yes, Champion. We fear that another being of your caliber has been already summoned at the Temple. Oh, had you not shown up our humble village's fate would have been sealed-"

"Wait," Black Star cut him off and the figure went silent. "So, if I take down whoever's trying to attack you then I get to go back home?" Also, the figure had said 'a being of Black Star's caliber' which, although an oxymoron as Black Star's caliber was unreachable, meant that he would at least get a good fight out of it.

"Ah, yes, I suppose, if you don't want to stay with us-"

"Hell yeah dudes, see ya later-"

"Champion, wait-!"

Too late, Black Star was already gone, jumping from building to building, the cheers echoing in his ear until he finally jumped over the wall and ran into the nearest forest.

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 **Feedback is appreciated.**


	2. A Very Loud Reunion

**Yelling is how you show friendship.**

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 **Chapter 2: A Very Loud Reunion**

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Kid grimaced as he carefully navigated his way around numerous branches.

After a lot of running and some disorientation, Kid had finally made it out of the Temple. Not even bothering to look back, he had run through the eerily quiet and infertile fields surrounded the Temple he had just left, bright Sun beating down on him. After that he had passed by a small hill to see a small valley filled with fruit-bearing trees; olives, oranges, lemons, apricots and so on.

"Oi!" came a loud voice and Kid whipped his head around. He'd recognize that voice from anywhere. Through the branches Kid saw a figure pass from tree to tree until it faced Kid and pointed a hand at him. "Hey, if you're from that dark place or whatever, come face me coward-!"

"Black Star, it's me," Kid said as he stepped forward, leaning under another thick branch and get a clear look of his friend. He didn't pay much attention to Black Star's question, having known the assassin long enough to expect some nonsense from him every now and then.

To his credit, Black Star's expression changed from a triumphant smirk, to a confused frown, to a cheery smile within an instant. "Oh, hey Kid!"

Kid's frown deepened. The familiar soul he had sensed back at the Temple was Black Star's soul. Still… "How did you end up here?"

Black Star shrugged but paused moments later. "Hey, wait a sec!" He pointed an accusatory finger at Kid. "If you're here to fight that dark champion dude too-!"

Kid crossed his arms. "I don't know what you're talking about. I woke up here with no recollection of how I arrived."

That gave Black Star pause again, as he stood up fully and placed his hands on his hips, frowning. "Same. So, uh, any idea how to get back home?"

Kid looked around him and sighed. "None whatsoever."

Black Star looked down at the ground and kicked the dirt. Kid let his shoulders drop as well. Even if he had found a familiar face, the two of them were still utterly lost about how or why they ended up in this mysterious island.

"So," Kid diplomatically said a after a few moments, "what was that you were talking about earlier? It sounds as if you're off to fight someone-"

Black Star looked up and gave kid a wide smirk. "Oh yeah! So like, I woke up in this village or something, and there were people cheering me on and calling me their Champion -it was awesome!- and then they said that their home was in danger or something and I have to defeat some rival champion to help them, so here I am!" Black Star said in one breath that had Kid frown in concern. "Protecting my subjects!"

Kid sighed. "They're not your…" Upon Black Star's blank look Kid took in a sharp breath. "You know what, sure. What about this other Champion of yours? I assume you're headed their way."

"Yeah, one of the dudes back at the village said I'd find the guy there!"

Before Kid could react, Black Star had reached around his shoulder, brought him close and spun him around. Kid, practically pressed against Black side, glanced between him and where he was pointing at and his eyes widened.

Black Star was pointing at the mountain. Specifically, the Temple. The place _Kid_ had woken up in.

Kid's face fell. "Wait."

Before he could get another word in, Black Star had let go of Kid and was marching towards the mountain. "See ya-"

Mentally cursing, Kid followed after him. "Black Star, wait-!"

Looking back at Kid, Black Star gave him a friendly wave as he kept his pace steady. "Don't worry, Kid, I won't be gone longer than a sec, just gotta kick this guy's ass-!"

"That's where _I_ woke up!" Kid shot back as he pointed at the Temple.

Black Star paused halfway through a step and Kid let his hand drop.

A second of silence passed.

"So you got that guy before I had a chance!" Black Star accused Kid, finger-pointing included. "That's cheating-!"

"What, no!" Kid swatted away Black Star's hand. "Black Star I suspect _I_ am that other 'Champion'," he made sure to gesture quote marks at the word, "the village you came from spoke of."

Black Star took a step back, dumbfounded. "Eh?"

Kid gestured at the Temple. "I woke up in there. The only people were me and another unconscious human, but they didn't look they could put up much of a fight, let alone be a 'Champion' of any sorts. Plus, since you are a so-called Champion and you woke up here with no recollection of how they arrived…" Kid trailed off meaningfully, letting Black Star connect the dots.

Black Star, hands akimbo, stared at the ground for a few moments, "So…" he began in confusion, "I gotta fight you…?"

Kid barely held back his immense desire to facepalm. "I'd rather we don't. And it's not like I intend to harm any village in the first place."

Black Star scratched his head as he looked from Kid to the Temple. "I guess we don't have to fight if you don't want to." He leaned in conspiratorially to Kid with a smirk. " _Chicken_."

Kid narrowed his eyes at Black Star and made a mental note to yell at him later, after they'd figured this mess out. "You said you woke up in a village, right?"

"Yeah," Black Star said in recollection. "It was very nice, had a lot of buildings, and trees, and was right by the beach. Like something out of a postcard or something."

Kid felt his mood worsen. Ah yes, let Black Star wake up in a tropical paradise while Kid did so in the world's creepiest pool. Honestly, the world wasn't fair.

"Did you ask them where you are, or even if they know how you got here?" Kid asked.

"Oh, that!" Black Star sheepishly scratched his neck. "I, uh, forgot-"

Kid choked on his own words. "You forgot- what- _how_?!"

"Hey, there was a lot of stuff happening-!" Black Star shot back.

Kid stared at Black Star for a few seconds. "You know what, I'm not gonna argue." He turned his back to the Temple and began walking. "Now, let's get back."

Black Star caught up with him moments later. "Back where?"

"To the village of course." Kid looked in the sky, at the setting sun that filtered through the foliage. "It's getting dark and you'll need a place to sleep-"

"Pft, I'm sleeping right here!"

There was the sound of a body falling to the floor and when Kid turned around he saw Black Star lying on the ground, using his hands like a pillow.

Kid's right eye twitched, followed by his left for symmetry's sake. "What are you doing?"

"Resting." Black Star threw his hands up in excitement. "It'll be like camping-"

"There's a perfectly habitable village right next door-!"

"Yeah, but they're _weird_." Black Star dropped his hands and looked up at Kid. "Do you think it'd be better if we go back?"

"Compared to the wilderness, yes!"

Black Star gave Kid a long look. Just when Kid was about to ask if there was something more to Black Star's aversion, the boy threw his hands up again, his lost cheer returning with a vengeance. "Come on, where's your sense of adventure?!"

Kid mumbled a stream of curses.

"And like, look at this place! It's just trees!"

"And lightning is just static electricity," Kid mumbled under his breath.

Still, Black Star may have a point. Looking around, they were surrounded with trees, buzzing cicadas and the occasional fly being the only other living beings around them. Occasionally he saw a bee resting on a few flowers growing by the side of trees.

Was this the greatest danger here? Bees?

Kid looked at the vegetation again, taking note of the chamomiles, daisies and dried woody husks of various weeds. This type of flora was found in Mediterranean environments, and if Kid remembered correctly, the biggest danger in such an environment were venomous snakes, but they were rare. Not to mention that if Kid stuck close to Black Star then he wouldn't have to worry about animal attacks. The elements were another matter entirely, but judging by the dried weeds, it was summer, and the temperature was what someone in Death City would call comfortably warm.

Kid grabbed one of the hanging fruits, a green fig barely bigger than a walnut and frowned. The entire branch of the fig tree swayed as Kid observed the fruit. Despite its colouring that indicated it was ripe, it was too small in size and slightly sagging. The rest of the figs were like that as well, all small and weirdly bulging.

Frowning, Kid snapped the fig away from the tree but held the branch in his other hand. It came off easily, but where Kid expected white milk-like sap to trickle out from the stem, barely a drop came out. From what Kid remembered on an educational trip of the DWMA, unripe figs usually dripped a lot more sap.

So, Kid wasn't imagining things. The fig was ripe, as evidenced by its colour and lack of sap. Still, though…

Kid pried the fig open and paused.

It was rotten inside. Where he expected to see countless small seeds covered in red, all that was in the fig was a slurry of digested seeds, sugar and parts of the outer shell.

Letting the fig fall to the ground Kid looked to the other trees as well; the olives were an unripe green, the oranges were small and dripped their contents, while the apricots looked like deflated balloons.

A knot of worry formed on his stomach. Considering it was summer, there shouldn't be any rotten fruit. All the other flora looked relatively healthy though, so it might be some localised disease. Still, Kid didn't know of any type of disease could affect a wide variety of fruits, let alone in such a way. He'd have to get to the bottom of this eventually, when Black Star would stop being so stubborn and they could just go where _civilisation_ was…

But, no matter how silly it sounded in Kid's head, there was that look Black Star had given him before…

Was there a reason Black Star didn't want to go back to the village besides his usual stubborn-headedness? Was Black Star aware of that reason, or was he going by gut feeling?

Kid let out a sigh. When Black Star did get stubborn like this, changing his mind was an exercise in futility. Even when it came to the rotten fruit, he could just make sure Black Star wouldn't eat any of them. "Fine. We're spending the night here."

Black Star let out a whoop as he picked himself up and stretched his back. Small branches and leaves were stuck all over his hair. "Alright!" He then immediately went and sat against a large fig tree.

Kid took a deep breath. "What are you doing now?"

"Catching a few z's."

Kid lightly poked him with his foot. "Get up. We need to build a shelter, a campfire, as well as find food and a source of clean water."

Black Star let out a long-suffering groan. "Aw, come on…"

"No buts. I will get started on the shelter and campfire, you find us food."

Black Star opened his eyes and gave Kid a frown before looking up at the fig tree. "Uh, there's stuff everywhere-"

"A lot of it rotten and I'm not having you eating rotten things," Kid said with crossed hands.

Black Star let down another groan but did get himself up. "Ugh fine. Be right back."

"As I said, make sure to open the fruits and check if they're rotten," Kid said as Black Star was leaving.

"Ok."

"And don't eat anything before we make sure it's not poisonous."

"Ok…"

"Also don't drink anything because it might be contaminated-"

"Yes mom!"

"Don't take that tone with me-"

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 **Changed weekly update day to Sunday cause that's when I have some free time lol**

 **Feedback is appreciated.**


	3. An Utter Lack of Camping Etiquette

**Under a moonless sky.**

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 **Chapter 3: An Utter Lack of** **Camping Etiquette**

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Hours later, Black Star sat cross-legged and with crossed hands as he looked over a pathetically small pile of fruit.

He turned to Kid who was staring at the pile with a frown and hand on his chin.

"Uh, guess we're fasting tonight?" Black Star was an absolute disaster when it came to cooking, but even he recognized that what little fruit he had gathered could not sate two people, especially not when one of them was Black Star.

On a level, Black Star was frustrated. He had been picking fruit for what felt like hours, and almost every single time he opened one he was met with a dark disgusting slurry. It didn't matter if their appearance was pristine, inside they were filled with the tarry remains.

"I'm not eating," Kid nonchalantly said, still staring at the fruit.

"Then who did I gather all this food for?!"

"For you, of course," Kid immediately replied, not missing a beat.

Black Star was about to yell at Kid again for making him gather so much food but paused. Had Kid accounted for Black Star's enormous appetite? Was that why he'd implied he'd be eating as well? Had he expected Black Star to find very little edible food?

Why that sly little Grim Reaper-

"Maybe…" Kid mumbled to himself and picked up a wayward apricot, split in half and oozing that black slurry.

Before Black Star could react, Kid took a bite out of the apricot.

"Hey, that's rotten." He narrowed his eyes at Kid as he coughed and grimaced. "And you said you're not eating."

"I'm testing to see if they're poisonous," Kid said with another cough, expression still sour. "Haven't seen this type of rot before." He coughed again. "Ugh, this tastes _vile_ …"

Black Star crossed his hand and rolled his eyes. "And you told me not to eat anything-"

After another coughing fit, Kid doubled over and begun dry-heaving. Black Star rushed over to him, holding him upright by the shoulders.

"Kid?" Through the coughs, Black Star would later hate how quiet his own voice was.

Kid grabbed Black Star's hand and gave it a squeeze. "They're… poisonous alright."

Black Star gulped. Poison? Shit that wasn't good. What was one supposed to do when someone got poisoned?

"Don't worry Kid, I got this!" Black Star yelled as he positioned himself behind Kid, wrapped his hands around his stomach and squeezed. "I'll have you throwing up in no time!"

With surprising strength, Kid pushed black Star away, somehow managing to make his coughs sound annoyed. "No, it's... fine. Effects… temporary." He took in a deep breath and Black Star relaxed, right before he started coughing again and Black Star instinctively reached out to him. "Oh dear, it's strong and _ugh_ …" Kid clutched his stomach, slumping over, "the _taste_ …"

"Uh," Black Star let out, "you sure you don't want to make you throw up or something…?"

"Just… give me a second." Kid took a few more deep breaths and straightened up. Black Star couldn't help but notice that he'd gone paler. "I think I'm fine now."

Oh, good, Black Star could breathe normally again. "The hell was that?! Doesn't rot give you like, stomach cramps of something?!"

"Yes. This…" Kid frowned as he looked at the discarded fruit. "This is outright poison. Heart-stopping and such."

Crap. So the rot was deadly? Good thing Black Star hadn't tried to eat any of the fruit before meeting Kid.

"Something is wrong with the land," Kid muttered as he looked around the tree-line, as if the one responsible would simply jump out at them. "With the island itself."

It was the complete sincerity with which Kid had said that last part that sent a shiver up Black Star's spine. It was suppressed immediately -after all, someone who had surpassed God shouldn't have shivers up their spine- but still. Damn Kid and his ominous statements.

The silence that fell among them was interrupted when Black Star's stomach let out a loud growl.

"Right…" Kid looked at the small pile of fruit and the small flame he had created, encircled by stones and using fallen branches and leaves as fuel. "I think we should cook the fruit, just in case."

Black Star watched as Kid took a thin branch and used it as a skewer, impaling bits or orange, apricot, mandarin, half a fig and a couple of grapes on it. He gave it to Black Star who held it over the open flame as he went on to prepare a couple of more skewers.

The two stood in silence, accompanied only the sound of cackling fire and buzzing cicadas. Sometimes, Black Star would hear a distant sound of waves hitting rocks, of branches creaking under a soft warm wind. The sun had set a while ago, bathing the place in darkness. The moon was nowhere to be found, engulfed by the Black Blood, a black orb that disappeared into the dead of night.

With Kid was methodically making more skewers for Back Star to hold while occasionally adding a bit of fuel in the flame, Black Star found himself at peace.

Kid gave Black Star a small poke and pointed at the first skewer he'd given the boy. "This should be ready to eat. I can hold a couple of skewers if you want a free hand."

"Sure," Black Star as he handed a hand's worth of skewers to Kid and took a bite out of the one that had been deemed 'ready'.

To Black Star's surprise, the fruits tasted great. They were soft, mushy even, and had a deep caramel-like flavor. It was like a dessert, almost.

Black Star practically inhaled his skewer, just in time for Kid to give him another one. "Yo, this is great!" He looked over at Kid. "You should eat one too, it's like honey."

"I don't need to-"

Before Kid could protest, Black Star shoved one of his skewers right in front of Kid's face.

"I'm not gonna die if you eat a skewer's worth of fruit, Kid." Black Star meant it as a joke, but from the sincerely thoughtful look he received he feared he may have made his humor too abstract for the Grim Reaper.

And so their game of 'get the other to eat' took off. Black Star and Kid would give each other skewers that they thought were ready. While Black Star would wolf his skewer down, from the corner of his eye he spied Kid only picking away at his portions and then trying to pass them off to Black Star again. Black Star wanted to protest but another pang from his stomach had him devouring another skewer that he was pretty sure he'd already passed on to Kid.

He would get Kid later for this.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Many skewers later, Black Star found himself with a full belly and dozing off.

Black Star looked over at Kid who attended over the faintly-glowing remains that used to be their fire. Since it was already warm, hot even, the two had decided to put out the fire, preventing them from accidentally starting a wildfire while asleep.

As Kid piled more dirt on the dying embers, Black Star looked up at the sky. Any traces of sunlight were gone and the sky was only illuminated by a few faint stars.

There was a _bzt_ in his ear, followed by a prickling sensation on one of his arms. "Ouch," Black Star said as he swatted his hand, crushing whatever was prickling him. Bringing his palm up, he saw the bloody remains of his attacker.' "Stupid mosquito."

"Mosquitos?" Kid repeated. "Were you bitten?"

"I think so." Another _bzt_ in his ear and Black Star waved his hands around his face. "Ugh, stupid things are buzzing all around me."

With surprising speed Kid was by Black Star and pushing him forward. "In the shelter, _now_."

"Hey," Black Star protested, "why are you freaking out-?"

"Mosquitoes are vectors of disease," Kid replied with some urgency. "Honestly, the _things_ some of them carry…"

Black Star rolled his eyes but allowed himself to be pushed towards the shelter. Their so-called structure was just a bunch of giant palm leaves stacked against an olive tree like a tent. Dried leaves had been used to make the 'floor' but they served more like annoyances in Black Star's opinion. He was also beginning to think Kid wasn't that well-versed in the whole shelter-making business, but hey, he had tried.

"I'll be fine," Black Star drawled as he kept being pushed towards the shelter. "Aren't they biting you too?"

"No, for obvious reasons."

Black Star looked back at Kid and narrowed his eyes.

"Oh for crying out- I am a- _the_ Grim Reaper, Black Star," Kid quickly corrected himself and Black Star held back a frown. "Most animals are sensible enough to avoid me."

Black Star narrowed his eyes further and leaned back closer to the Grim Reaper, as if challenged.

Kid's ensuing glare could wilt flowers. "Key word being _sensible_ -"

"Then you come into the shelter too."

"Why-?"

"Cause the shelter's got no doors and it has holes so mosquitos can easily come in but if you're in with me that means that they'll avoid you and I won't be bitten," Black Star said in one breath as he found himself outside the shelter. Also, he'd like the company. "Duh!"

Taking advantage of Kid's momentary confusion, Black Star got him in a headlock and maneuvered his way inside the shelter, falling and taking Kid with him.

Kid looked up from where he'd landed and spat out leaves. "This is childish." He made a motion to stand up but Black Star had one hand around his back and pressed down. "Black Star!"

"Come on, stay~" Black Star said with a groan as he clutched to Kid's shirt. "It's gonna be boring otherwise…"

"I thought you wanted me as a mosquito repellent."

"Yeah, that too~"

With a groan Kid settled back on the ground as Black Star yawned and stretched.

Huh. Despite its appearance, the shelter was surprisingly comfortable. Soundproof even. The constant buzzing of the cicadas quieted down to a low rumble. Even the floor leaves were gathered in such way that resembled a pillow at the top.

"Hey, this is pretty good," Black Star looked over at Kid as he let out another yawn. "You done something like this before?"

To Black Star's surprise, Kid paused. For a second his gaze became vacant. "I…" he let out, looking at the shelter as if seeing for the first time. "I'm not sure…"

Kid's troubled expression bothered Black Star so he let out a loud laugh, causing the Grim Reaper to flinch and look at him disapprovingly. "Hey, cheer up! We're camping!"

With a roll of his eyes, Kid turned his back to Black Star as he settled into the shelter. "Whatever."

As the two sat in silence, Black Star realized that they were … close. Close enough that it made the shelter felt warm, close enough that Black Star could hear Kid's breaths, or more specifically, the lack of them.

Black Star gave Kid a gentle poke and the Grim Reaper turned around to face him with a frown. "What?"

Black Star's initial response was planned to be 'nothing', but then he noticed how alert Kid seemed to be, as if he hadn't let himself relax one bit. "Lemme guess, you're not sleeping?"

The leaves rustled as Kid gave Black Star a shrug. "I don't need to-"

"You will." That vaguely sounded like a threat and Black Star wasn't quite sure if he'd intended that or not.

Judging by Kid's frown he had taken that as a threat. "Or what?"

"Or I won't sleep either!"

Kid's frown was replaced by a flabbergasted expression. "Why won't you _sleep-_?!"

"Cuz I'm the one who's surpassed you, so whatever you don't need I don't need it too!"

Kid gave him a long look before groaning and turning his back on Black Star. "Ugh, fine, it that's what it'll get you to sleep."

Black Star blinked as Kid went silent. He… hadn't expected that reaction. "Hey Kid," he began, "Uh, I kinda meant that as a joke-"

"I'm trying to sleep," came Kid's even voice. "Unlike some, I have to expend effort and concentrate to do so."

"Come on grumpy-pants, cheer up," Black Star drawled. "We're stuck in a mysterious island and people are calling us Champions."

"…And?"

"And?!" Black Star repeated. "Come on, last I saw you was when you became the Academy's Headmaster and was like, half a year ago!" Now, why Black Star hadn't bothered to visit Kid again was another matter entirely. "The last six months have been so boring…"

"They've been busy for me."

"Yeah, I bet, which is why this is so exciting!"

With a sigh, Kid turned around and faced Black Star with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"Come on… You and me. The man who surpassed God and the God of Death. Finally meeting up after a long time stranded on a mysterious island. On an _adventure_!" Black Star even added jazz hands to that last bit, but Kid remained completely unimpressed.

Kid rolled to the other side. "Haven't we had enough of those?"

"What?!" Black Star drawled. "No way dude, think of all the twist and turns-!"

"I've had enough _surprises_ to last me several lifetimes."

There was an odd finality in Kid's statement that gave Black Star pause. Though he hadn't seen Kid in a while, he could easily recall all the little details that signified his mood, from odd twitched to changes in his pitch. Yet he had never heard Kid sound so…tired.

With a hum, Black Star laid against his back, looking at the leafy roof of their shelter. "I still think this is gonna be fun."

"It never is," came Kid's tired voice.

"Bet?"

"No, because I tend to win these things."

Again, Black Star found himself without a witty remark to shoot back. He thought about replying with a boisterous laugh instead and say Kid would lose, but decided against it. Kid… he didn't seem to be in a good mood, to say the least.

"'Night, Kid," was all Black Star could bring himself to say as he closed his eyes.

"…Goodnight, Black Star," came Kid's voice, eventually.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 **Feedback is appreciated.**


	4. The Inescapable Heaven

**Blasting off.**

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 **Chapter 4: The Inescapable Heaven**

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Black Star woke to the chirping of birds. He yawned, fully expecting to be met with the crinkling of leaves and paused.

Now Black Star knew that he wasn't a still sleeper. More often than one he'd wake up in the exact opposite orientation of how he'd fallen asleep, logistics be damned. Most times, Black Star didn't really care, except the times where half of him ended up off the bed. This time too, Black Star woke up with a crick in his back and something soft under his head and he had instinctively tried to place a hand under the soft surface.

His hand contacted something very solid and bony and Black Star opened his eyes.

Then he did a double take.

Somehow, he had ended up using Kid's belly as a pillow, while his back had twisted in a way that he had ended up accidentally kneeing Kid. Black Star involuntarily shifted his head and flinched. Belly or not, it was all bones.

Very carefully, Black Star disentangled himself, careful not to disturb Kid. Though the Grim Reaper had told that he didn't need sleep, Black Star thought it'd be a dick move to wake him up. Kid, apparently dead to the world, did not move one bit.

Besides, as Black Star stood hunching by the exit of their shelter, sunlight filtering through cracks in the leaves, Kid did look like he'd needed the rest. Besides his usual deceptively fair appearance, there were little things that seemed off to Black Star. There were dark circles under his eyes, something Black Star was pretty sure Kid didn't use to have. His clothes looked rather odd too. There were a lot of creases in them, more than he had ever seen when it came to Kid's clothes.

Bah, it was probably nothing. Kid was a Grim Reaper; there shouldn't be anything to worry about-

A slight movement came from Kid and Black Star paused. Looking closer, he saw Kid's eyes moving under his eyelids while his fingers occasionally twitched.

Black Star frowned. Was Kid having a dream? Could Kid dream? Black Star would have to ask him that later.

With another stretch, Black Star left the shelter and was met with blinding sun. Around him, the field was quiet, sans the wind and rustling of branches.

Black Star looked back to the shelter were Kid was sleeping. He couldn't help but remember their conversation last night…

Hell of a reunion this was. Stuck in an unknown island. Not the way Black Star wanted to meet up with Kid after such a long time.

Then again, it wasn't as if Black Star had been clamoring to return back to Death City. On one hand Black Star did have his training—and Tsubaki had even encouraged him to take on pupils—but he'd be lying to himself if he claimed that was the only reason he'd been avoiding Kid.

He wouldn't admit that out loud to anyone, but the more time passed the more Black Star had found himself thinking about Kid. When he would normally blank out during an Academy update, the moment Kid was mentioned Black Star found himself eavesdropping. He would listen in about what new policies Kid had implemented in their alliance with the Witches, and he would actually pay attention. It was a silly newfound eccentricity, probably one created because Black Star feeling lonely when he didn't have anyone he could have a full-out spar with.

But, it still made Black Star think. It made him think about his younger years and how he used to flare up with jealousy whenever Kid was brought up in conversation, resulting in lofty claims that he'd surpass God, which he did do eventually because he was just that awesome. But at that time, Black Star had started becoming more reckless until Kid had kicked his ass and, on a level, Black Star couldn't help but respect that. His jealousy had developed into begrudging, then full on respect.

And well, before Black Star had realized the latter, he and Kid were holding Asura back together as Maka resonated with everyone and he could feel Kid's soul, his anxiety, his fear, his determination mixed with Black Star's own emotions and his stupid mind couldn't help but wonder, wonder what life would be after they'd defeated Asura, wondering what Black Star would do after that, wondering how Kid would get by, wondering about what their life would be afterward…

Apparently, life would be very boring. After they had arrived, Black Star had expected the fanfare and the cheers. What he hadn't expected was Kid losing the only other family he had.

Even then though, Kid had dealt with the matter on his own, perfectly as was expected. He had come out of the Death Room, perfectly composed and informed them of Lord Death's demise. Even at the small private ceremony they had, which consisted of just lighting a small stick of strange-smelling incense, Kid had not shed a tear.

Had Black Star not known Kid as well as he already did, he'd think Kid just couldn't care. He would just make up some theory that it was a Grim Reaper thing.

Problem was, Black Star _knew_ Kid. He knew that Kid had a tendency to bottle up negative emotions and, Grim Reaper or not, said metaphorical bottle would break and result in a torrent of consequences. Hell, Black Star had experienced it first hand at the Book of Eibon and at that time, despite his boisterous mask Black Star had been worried. His chest had ached with dread at what Kid had been saying, and…

Hem. Stupid Grim Reaper.

So, Black Star had just left, hoping maybe the distance would help him clear his head and… well, he hadn't really had a plan beyond that to be honest. He had settled in the mountains, close to where Tsubaki's ancestral home was and poured all his effort in his training to hone his godly strength. Why, he wasn't sure. Part of him had rationalized it that the next time Kid went off the deep end he'd be there to kick some literal sense into him again. Another part of him however…

Anyways, the discomfort Black Star felt was probably because he hadn't seen Kid for some time. Rival or not, he did consider Kid a friend. And really, now was the worst time for him to realise he'd been developing a _crush_ -

A rustle of movement thankfully caused Black Star to lose is train of thought and look back at the shelter to see Kid emerging from it. The Grim Reaper looked around with a frown until his gaze fell on Black Star and his frown deepened.

"Morning sleepyhead," Black Star said with a yawn as he stretched again.

He looked up at Kid expecting to be met with a disapproving stare and maybe even a snarky remark. Instead, Kid had given him a blank look.

"Black Star? What…?" Kid trailed off as he looked at the boy then the shelter. "Oh." He looked back at Black Star and his eyes widened in realization. "Oh, right, we…" He closed off rubbed his forehead. "Apologies, I was… disoriented for a second."

Black Star gave Kid a grin to lighten the mood. "It's because you were sleeping like a rock."

"Must be the stress," Kid muttered under his breath, ignoring Black Star.

Black Star frowned at Kid. "…You think it was the rot?"

"No. It should have been fully flushed out of my system hours ago."

Black Star's face dropped. Right. "So, uh, any plans for today?"

"Ah of course," Kid rose smoothly and smoothed his shirt. The creases stubbornly remained and Kid shot them a glare before refocusing to Black Star. "Ideally, we find a way out of this island. I was thinking since I can fly-"

"Then let's go!" Black Star announced, pointing at the Horizon. "I'll…!" He trailed off in growing realization. He had been meaning to say he'd use his shadows but Tsubaki wasn't there with him. The two couldn't use their abilities to manifest Black Star's shadow in physical form and effectively bunny-hop their way over the ocean, so that left…

"I can carry you," Kid offered.

No. No, Black Star was _not_ about carried along like some damsel in distress, not he who had surpassed God-

Kid's hands came from behind Black Star and wrapped around his torso. His grip was strong and firm. Kinda like an octopus, but Black Star wasn't about to say that to Kid's face.

"Buckle up." It may have been Black Star's imagination, but there was a hint of amusement in Kid's voice.

Before Black Star could protest, he heard two steady whines come from Kid's sides and they were off, Black Star's hair, gums and, to a lesser degree, limbs, wobbling in protest of their less-than-aerodynamic form.

Black Star was definitely getting Kid back for this.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

"Ugh," Black Star groaned for what felt like the umpteenth time. He tried to move his hand, only to find that everything above his elbows was numb. "My shoulders are sore."

"They are?" came Kid's voice from above him, slightly muted by the howling wind. "Sorry, we should have switched positions a while ago…"

Motivated by pure pettiness, Black Star managed to coordinate what little he could still feel of his arms to cross them. "I didn't want you carrying me in the first place."

"Oh. Would you have preferred a piggy back then?"

Oh great, this was getting from bad to worse.

"You'll still be carrying me," Black Star said, arms still crossed because he couldn't move them at all now. Hey, at least he'd accomplished his goal of looking mildly peeved.

In the following silence, Black Star decided to take a look of scenery, or rather, the lack of it.

They'd been flying for what felt like hours. It probably was hours; Black Star wasn't that good at this metaphor stuff.

The so-called scenery before him was boring. Sure, the glass-like water tinted clear blue and reflecting the sun's rays was probably idyllic to some people. To Black Star however, it was boring. Where was the fun? The excitement? The giant Kraken?

No to mention, sea was the only thing he could see. There was no land, no ships, not even fish in the translucent oceanic blue. Just calm, still water.

Black Star held back a yelp as Kid adjusted his grip on him, bringing his hands closer so that Black Star was practically pressed against him and, probably unintentionally, Kid's head was just above the crook of his neck.

 _Gah_. Too close.

Kid looked at Black Star a concerned frown. "You realize you can't exactly fly, right?"

Black Star let down a snort, his hands still crossed. "Give me a day tops and I'll fly _faster_ than you!"

Kid let out a sigh, right by his freaking ear. Again, _gah_. "Sure…"

"I could do it!" Black Star insisted. Then, because Kid holding him, because he was close enough that he felt the Grim Reaper's chest vibrate with concealed laughter, Black Star's brain short-circuited and he mumbled: "bet you wanted to carry me 'cause of my muscles or something."

The silence that followed was deafening, to the point where Black Star's heard his own heart pound against his eardrums.

Mortified, Black Star looked up to see Kid give him an utterly blank look.

"I… didn't catch that last part clearly. Did you say something about muscles…?" Kid hesitantly asked.

"It was a joke," Black Star quickly mumbled, looking down. Great, he could feel the color seeping onto his cheeks.

"Oh," came Kid's voice. "Uh, ha ha?"

Black Star now seriously considered using whatever strength he had left to push himself off Kid and into the water.

Why the hell was Kid doing this? Was he trying to flirt back or was he just being an oblivious nerd? Both? Neither? Should Black Star just do the flirting equivalent of 'fuck it' and say that he suspected he was crushing— _gah,_ that was so weird to think—on Kid?

No, if Black Star was to do anything, he'd have to first find out if Kid even liked him. It was an act that would require wit, charm and above all, subtlety.

…Black Star was so screwed.

"How far off do you think we are?" Kid asked.

Oh good, a change of subject. Black Star could work with that. "Dunno. Turn back and check?"

As Kid slowed down, Black Star looked at the sky and realized it was afternoon. So, they had been flying for hours. Surely by now they must have made good progress; the island should be just a dot in the Horizon.

Kid's grip became slack, just enough so that Black Star had some room to dangle again.

"Hey, what's going on?" Black Star said, looking up at Kid to see he'd craned his neck around.

Wordlessly, Kid turned around, and Black Star also found himself at a loss for words.

What stood before his eyes was the island. The land stretched across before his vision as if they'd never left the beach. "How…?"

"This is… unsettling-"

"There's no way!" Black Star protested, pointing at the island and the ocean. "We were flying for hours!"

"It's getting dark…" Kid said in a low tone, looking at the sky. Already, parts of the sun had disappeared behind the massive mountain range on the west side of the island, bathing the land in darkness.

Black Star, still at a loss of words, let both of his hands drop in defeat. Stupid place was giving him a headache.

In the silence, Black Star's stomach growled.

"Ugh," Black Star let out. "Let's just find a place to camp again…" This wasn't how he'd imagine their first day of their adventuring to go.

"Black Star," came Kid's voice as the boy looked up to see Kid tilt his head to one part of the island. "Is that the village you were talking about?"

Following Kid's tilt, Black Star looked at the eastern side of the island with narrowed eyes, where sparse vegetation gave way to small and stout white buildings. The village.

Two cliffs made up two of the village's sides, perpendicular to each other. The other half was guarded by a curving wall that reached the two ends of the island. At the corner the two cliffs were supposed to meet, a patch of land trailed off like a bridge before ending up in a wide plateau made up exclusively of fertile field. This was probably where the village got its food from.

"Yeah," Black Star let out. If he focused, he could even see the small elevated area where he'd woken up. "That's the place."

"Excellent."

Before Black Star could protest Kid had picked up speed again, flying straight at the village.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 **Feedback is appreciated.**


	5. A Suspiciously Warm Welcome

**Very friendly smiles.**

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 **Chapter 5: A Suspiciously Warm Welcome**

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Kid landed on a small clearing in the village, a small empty square with a few pine trees emerging from the cobblestones. Black Star thrashed in his hold and Kid let him go with a grimace.

"Hey," Black Star said the moment his feet touched the ground, "what are you doing-?!"

"Finding us _proper_ shelter," Kid cut him off. "Along with food and water."

Kid ignored Black Star's ensuing pout to take note of their surroundings. They had landed in the middle of an empty square, surrounded by a few buildings. Most buildings were one-story high, some of the bigger ones reaching two full stories. They were built next to one another, next to narrow cobblestone alleyways, where wildflowers grew.

Most importantly however, said alleyways were empty, and the buildings were shuttered off. The area was silent, save for the distant crashing of waves and warm dry wind.

Black Star kicked a pebble. "Area's empty, can we go now-?"

Kid out a hand up and focused on his Soul Perception. His vision lit up with blue souls. They were in the houses, away from the windows. A few were moving away from them. The only exceptions were...

A tall robed person appeared from one of the alleyways, followed by a small ensemble of other people.

Black Star crossed his hands in recognition and Kid took a step closer to him, ready to grab him and leave if things were wrong. He couldn't tell from the masks, but the people's tense shoulders and quick footsteps made him doubt the people's openness towards them.

"Champion?" the taller figure asked, his voice old and gravely. "Is that you?"

"Great, these dudes," Kid heard Black Star mutter under his breath before giving the people a nonchalant wave. "Heya!"

Kid frowned, but repeated the greeting with a 'hello' and a polite nod.

The figures looked away from Black Star and towards Kid. The Grim Reaper glanced at Black Star. Should he have not have come here? This place was the closest thing to civilization on this island and Kid couldn't trust Black Star to survive safely in the wilderness by himself.

The elder inclined his head to Kid. "Who is this with you, Champion?"

"Oh, that's my friend, Kid," Black Star said despite shooting said friend a quick glare, probably because of that stunt he'd pulled. "We know each other from before, and uh..." He paused in consideration. "I think he's the other Champion dude."

The ensuing silence that stretched among them was deafening.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

"I think they took it well," Black Star said, breaking the silence Kid so desperately craved.

"I believe that would have taken it better if you hadn't called me 'Champion dude'."

Black Star thought for a few seconds. "Nah."

Kid let out a groan as he fell back into the bed. At least this mattress was soft, much better than what Kid had improvised with the sparse supplies he'd had yesterday.

The house they were in was a modest building, made up of thick walls, small windows with colourful wooden shutters and a flat roof. It was split up in four compartments, made of a connected living room and bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom. The architecture was awfully familiar of a Mediterranean island, but small details, like the absence of glass on the windows, the roughness of the wooden door and shutters, the kitchen lacking any electrical appliances and instead being made up of a fire-pit, gave Kid the impression that he was in some alternate version of said architecture.

He looked over to Black Star who was currently eating his way through a sizable fruit basket.

All in all, it was comfortable. They had food, which Black Star was eating through at an alarming rate, water and a roof over their head. Kid had made the right choice to come here, right?

The door of their abode creaked opened and Kid stood up as Black Star looked away from his food and at the newcomers.

The tall from figure from before entered, this time followed by a single fellow, a thin and much shorter robed figure holding a few sticks of incense.

"Champion," the tall figure addressed Black Star, with a bow of their head.

Black Star, halfway through eating a slice of watermelon, wiped his mouth with his forearm and Kid barely managed to keep himself from cringing. "Hey."

"I hope you find these accommodations to your liking."

"Yeah, I guess," Black Star said with a shrug. "Kid brought me here anyways."

"It's better than the wilderness," Kid spoke up and crossed his hands at Black Star.

"Yeah, yeah," Black Star said with a nonchalant wave as he continued scarfing down what was left of the watermelon slice.

Kid let out a sigh and pinched his nose. Looking up, he found the two figures facing him, silent. "And you are...?"

"Right, you guys don't know each other..." Black Star said, chewing with his mouth open. "Like I said, this is my friend Kid, Kid these are..." He gulped the last remnants of the watermelon and raised an eyebrow at the figures. "What are your names again?"

Kid barely held back a grimace. Black Star didn't even know their names. Goodness sake, now was a good time for the Earth to open up and swallow them whole-

"You are not from here," the taller figure said, apparently unperturbed by Black Star's complete lack of manners.

"Correct." Kid looked at the window of their house. Its placement on a hill gave them a wide berth of the western side of the island, the black mountain range visible to the naked eye. "I woke up over there."

Looking behind him, the cyclopean architecture was strange but not unnerving, definitely up to par to simultaneous architectural impossibility and marvel that was the DMWA. In Kid's opinion the Temple was just a large carved structure by the side of the mountain; impressive but not supernatural in origin. Now, when it came to the dark clouds and lack of fauna and flora, that was another matter entirely.

The figures stared at the mountain transfixed, then at Kid, equally speechless.

Kid cleared his throat. "I have to say, this is a much more pleasant welcome," he continued with a polite smile.

To his eternal frustration, the figures kept staring at him blankly.

"Champion," the tall figure addressed Black Star who was now making his way through a slice of melon, "are you sure this is the other Champion?"

Kid briefly closed his eyes. "Excuse you?"

"The Champion of the Dark?" the shorter figure said, their voice, softer and high-pitched. "Raised by its followers on the Great Temple?"

Kid narrowed his eyes at the shorter figure, who took a step back. "First of all, I am not an 'it'. Secondly, I have no idea what you're talking about."

The shorter figure slunk back, looking at their fellow. "But the two Champions are supposed to be enemies..."

Kid crossed his arms. Enemies? Sure, he wouldn't describe Black Star as his best friend but they weren't hostile to each other... Despite Black Star's sudden disappearance-

Before Kid knew what was going on Black Star wrapped an arm around his shoulder, giving the figures a wide grin. "Oh, yeah we're definitely rivals, but Kid's a cool guy."

Kid rolled his eyes. Still... it felt nice to hear. Heart-warming even.

Then Black Star's hand reached up and ruffled his hair, and any warmth Kid had towards him was replaced with mild annoyance. "Stop that."

Black Star gave him a grin. "Make me."

Kid gave Black Star a light poke which resulted in an arm around the Grim Reaper's neck. Kid grabbed Black Star's free hand and slipped out of his hold, only for the assassin to the manoeuvre around him, getting him in another headlock seconds later, like a game of cat and mouse. It would be amusing, had it not been completely inappropriate.

"This is ridiculous," Kid let out as he slipped out of the hold again, only for Black Star to grab him again with both hands this time.

"Just admit defeat Reaper," came Black Star's playful voice and Kid couldn't help but smile.

"Sure, now let me breathe," Kid said, managing to keep his voice even. Black Star let out a victorious cry but did let Kid go. "Much better."

Black Star gave Kid a pout. "You weren't even trying."

"We have other things to worry about…" Kid trailed off, avoiding Black Star's disappointed expression to look at the figures. They had stepped back closer to the exit, watching them in silence. Like spectators of a sort.

It was… unsettling.

"So," Kid spoke up causing the smaller one to jolt in place while the taller tilted their head in curiosity. "Who are you? Do you know why we are here?"

The smaller figure glanced at the taller one, who then took a step forward. "We are but humble inhabitants of this land."

Kid crossed his arms. This wasn't exactly a 'hi, our names are Bob and Sally' introduction, but it was something. "Does this place have a name?"

"Yes," the older figure supplied with a small bow. "Atlantis."

Black Star's resulting grin could blind the sun. Kid only felt his stomach drop. Great, the more time they spent here the more of an 'adventure' this situation turned out to be.

So, this mysterious inescapable island was Atlantis. Kid knew he barebones of the supposed lost island' mythology, and it was consistent with this island's Greek architecture… somewhat.

"Wait, isn't Atlantis supposed to have sunk or something?" Black Star spoke up, looking as if he was seeing this place for the first time. "And like, aren't you guys supposed to have this huge super-advanced city?"

Kid placed a hand to his chin, looking at around house, gaze falling to the pre-modern kitchen. "I suppose this would be considered advanced in an ancient era…"

The tall figure let out a tired sigh. "Alas, the fate that befell our home is a tragic one."

The smaller figure nodded along. "A great curse it is."

Kid glanced at Black Star, whose excited expression hadn't subsided one bit. At least one of them was having fun.

"When our island was still in the old world, our island was created and protected by a God and a Goddess. They were both lovely, fair and generous," the elder figure began, voice coated with a hint of fond remembrance. "It is said that their love made the land fertile, the people and animals healthy, and the seas calm. By their blessings, our ancient Capital flourished, a center of art and technology." They sighed. "But that peace did not last."

Kid help himself back from making a snide comment about it never doing so. It would be rude.

"There was an attack," the figure continued and gestured to the mountain. "One that rose those terrible mountains and made the land infertile. The God perished and left the Goddess alone."

The short figure muttered a prayer. Kid glanced at Black Star; his face was neutral.

"The Goddess mourned and mourned, and her tears turned into fierce floods blocking us from the outside world. It tore up the ancient capital, and our ancestors prayed and prayed for their lives."

Huh. So that explained the lack of a city and the presence of this village.

"Eventually, the Goddess heard the cries of her people," the tall figure continued. "She despaired over the destruction she had caused. As penance, the Goddess sealed the island away and went into a deep slumber."

"I wouldn't call that a penance," Kid spoke up. "It sounds more like self-exile."

The figure gave him a long look and Kid reciprocated the stare.

Eventually, the tall figure looked away. "The Goddess left us with one wish, one way to resolve her grief and return us to the old world."

"What, revenge or something?" Black Star asked.

"An understanding," the tall figure offered. "To feel her sorrow, to understand her mourning, one way or another…" they trailed off. "Become one to overcome."

Kid narrowed his eyes. "This sounds ominous."

"I believe it refers to love," the short figure spoke up, looking between Kid and the taller figure.

"How do these so-called Champions play into this?" Kid asked.

"Ah yes," the tall figure continued. "There are people who hate the Goddess for our exile. Every so often they leave our village and barricade themselves the darklands." He gestured to the mountain and Kid remained the person there who had lain prone, unconscious. Should he have checked up on them? Perhaps even brought them back? "Their aim is to raise the same being that took away the God and unleash them on the Goddess." The figure paused and gave the Grim Reaper a long look.

"Death," Kid said in the figure's behalf, feeling his mood sour. "Well, that explains why I'm here-"

"Please, don't kill the Goddess!" the short figure spoke up, taking a step towards Kid. "It will destroy the island."

"And the Goddess," the tall figure quickly added.

The Grim Reaper scoffed. Always the worst assumption. "I have no intention of killing anyone."

"Hey, what about me?" Black Star spoke up. Oh good, a change of subject. "Like, you said supposed to kick Kid's ass or something?"

"For the last time, we're not having a fight-"

"Ah, if I may…" the short figure hesitantly spoke up. "The Goddess's wish is for love."

Kid switched his mild glaring from Black Star to the short figure. "What now?"

The tall figure gave Black Star a small bow. "You are our Champion. After…" they gestured at Kid, "Death comes to the island, so will our own Champion rise up."

"To do what exactly?"

"Love!" the shorter figure spoke up with a cheer. "Well, the Goddess supposes that the Champion will make Death fall in love with themselves and the people here..."

Kid blinked, wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him. Looking back at Black Star, he seemed equally confused. Was this so-called Champion supposed to… romance him?

Ok, this was enough.

"...and they will leave the island unharmed," the shorter figure continued unperturbed, "as they'll understand empathy and-"

Oh, for fuck's sake-

"Thank you, your talk has been quite _illuminating_." Kid walked towards the figures who took several steps back until they stepped outside the door. Kid grabbed the doorknob and gave them a polite tight-lipped smile. "Now, if you'll excuse us."

Kid promptly shut the door at their face.

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 **Feedback is appreciated.**


	6. Complications

**Things are never simple.**

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 **Chapter 6: Complications**

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Black Star watched Kid pace around the room like an angry cat. The only thing he was missing was a flicking tail, though the occasional shadow that manifested at the edges of the Grim Reaper's form was decidedly more impressive, if not worrying.

"I can't believe this," Kid muttered under his breath.

Black Star ran a hand through his hair as he recalled the figures' words with increasing embarrassment.

It had taken him a few moments longer than Kid to realise what they were implying he had to do with the Grim Reaper. Needless to say, he had been avoiding Kid's gaze ever since.

Because, honestly, this was not how Black Star wanted Kid to learn that he had what almost-certainly-now-a-crush on him. This was especially true considering Black Star had absolutely no clue if Kid liked him back. Besides, if Kid did like him back, Black Star would much rather ask him out when they were fighting a Kishin Egg or doing something equally cool, not when they were stuck in tiny house.

Black Star held back a cough as he took in the burning incense the shorter figure had set up before departing. It was a pleasant sweet smell, though it did make him feel a bit light-headed.

"Yeah, this is uh, something," Black Star said in agreement. He had to do something to lighten mood, and also calm down the butterflies at his stomach. Something silly. Something… _Black Star_.

He spied a flower vase with a single daisy in it and a light bulb went off in his head.

While Kid was still pacing around the room, Black Star took the daisy -there were no roses unfortunately- and put it between his teeth as he climbed on the bed. At that point Kid gave him a confused look, at which Black Star laid back and gave the Grim Reaper his biggest shit-eating grin.

"So Kid…" Black Star trailed off in a purposefully deep and ridiculous tone.

He was expecting an exaggerated sigh, some light-hearted scolding, even a laugh. What he got instead was a tired look as Kid rubbed bridge of nose.

"Don't."

Huh. Not even a witty remark Black Star could play off with. The daisy in his mouth dropped, just like his mood. Unless… "Hey, if this is some backhanded insult-"

"This is not about you, Black Star," Kid said, each word carefully selected and spoken.

"What is it about then?" Black Star asked with a faked nonchalant tone. What other reason could there be? Even if Kid didn't like him, which was always a possibility, he wouldn't be this cold about it. Maybe a bit embarrassed or annoyed, but not this… fatigued.

"The whole concept," Kid eventually let out, which didn't clear up things one bit for Black Star.

Upon noticing Black Star's persistent confusion, Kid looked away. "I am not attracted to people. Romantically or sexually."

…Oh.

Not attracted to people. Which meant Kid wasn't and wouldn't be attracted to Black Star. Which meant that Black Star's crush - _potential crush_ \- was not reciprocated.

…Honestly, ouch. But, it had been a possibility. Maybe Black Star could now finally stop thinking about it.

Though the lack of attraction actually made some sense, Black Star supposed. To begin with, it would explain Kid's complete lack of interest in dating. Said disinterest could only be rivalled by Maka's, but that only because Maka was the biggest nerd among them and also the most oblivious, equalled only by Soul, the two unable to see the huge crush they had on each other. Liz's aggressive flirting was well known and something Black Star loved to sabotage, Patty was too scary for people to approach and Tsubaki tended to keep matters private -even if Black Star may or may not have occasionally eavesdropped or did some sleuthing on his own. As for Black Star himself, he also hadn't dated but that was because his crushes tended not to be reciprocated -case in point.

Oh, there were rumours about Kid, as there were rumours of the late Death, most of which Sid had kept a younger Black Star from hearing fully. He had disregarded them when he was younger, but they reappeared after Kid had enrolled in the DWMA and had made his existence public. Questions about the logistics of a Grim Reaper having a child. Tall tales of intrigue, of lost lovers and forbidden love, each one sillier than the other.

All of them had turned out to be bunk anyways when Asura had blown the lid of his Grim Reaper nature and about fragmenting being the way a new Grim Reaper was created.

Black Star wondered if there any such rumours at Death City anymore. There probably were, people liked to gossip, but whereas the late Death would be paired up with old Witches or the occasional ancient Deathscythe, who would be the imaginary match-up for Kid?

"We're still friends, right?" Black Star blurted out before he could stop himself. Kid hadn't said anything about friendship and Black Star was certain that the Grim Reaper was more than capable of having fiends. Still…

Kid raised an eyebrow at him. "Of course we are, why wouldn't we-?" he cut himself off and rubbed his brow. "Ugh, this is why I don't like having this conversation with people."

Black Star frowned. Had he said something wrong?

Whatever.

"Good," Black Star eventually said, happy that at least Kid considered him a friend. "You're my pal too."

"I'm glad," Kid said in a flat tone.

"Why wouldn't I be?!" Black Star announced, feeling some of his old cheer returning. "A God should be fond of those below them after all!"

"Pushing it," Kid warned him, but there was a hint of fondness in his voice. "I guess this must be rather embarrassing for you too."

Hah, Kid had _no idea_. "Pft, who cares?" Black Star nonchalantly said. "No really, why am I supposed to like, flirt with you or something? Why can't I just kick ass-?!"

"It probably has to do with the Goddess and her…" Kid grimaced, " _mourning_. Not that I'm any more comfortable with this." His frown deepened. "Really, pairing vague notions of humanity with romantic love? If I was human, I would be very offended-"

"So, what do we do?" Black Star said, eager to change the subject. He hoped this brief talk was a neat resolution to his crush and the sooner it got out of his mind, the better. "Can't we pretend we're dating?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Huh. Apparently, not that tidy of a resolution. Still, the sooner they got off their island, the sooner Black Star could go back to being a hermit in the mountains.

"It's about the principle of the thing!" Kid said with an exasperated sigh and his frame slumped. "But I can't think of another way…"

Black Star blinked. Had Kid just agreed on the fake dating idea?

Black Star felt like he was in a cliché romance chick-flick, where the protagonists pretended to date only for 'true love' to blossom between them and then they'd save the day, get married and adopt a dog or something. Though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he did like some of those aforementioned movies, especially the ending.

Maybe…

Kid let out another sigh and sat by the bed, facing away from Black Star, arms crossed.

Well, this was no way to start. Black Star went to sit next to him until Kid tensed, keeping his gaze away, causing Black Star to freeze.

What the fuck was Black Star doing? Kid was visibly uncomfortable, why the fuck was Black Star letting him go along with this? Why had he even suggested it in the first place?

No, this wasn't fair to Kid, and goddammit, even if things hadn't worked out the way Black Star wanted them, Kid was his friend and had already been forced into a lot of shitty situations in the past.

Black Star took a step back forcing a nonchalant smile on his face. "Nah, I think it's a stupid idea."

Watching Kid's frame relax was _painful_. "You do?"

Black Star shrugged. "Stuff like that only works in movies and these guys haven't even invented cinema. Besides, it's also about the principles, or something like that." He swallowed when he got no immediate response. "That's what you said, right?"

The relief evident in Kid's now fully at ease posture only made Black Star feel guiltier.

"True," Kid hesitantly said. "But the more time we spend here…"

Black Star shrugged again. "Then we figure out another way. I mean, you're a god I guess, and I'm way up at the top of all that so we'll easily come up with something," he added, guessing Kid would appreciate his subtle compliment.

Problem solved. All was well.

Kid apparently did not think so, as his frown deepened. "Even _if_ we find an alternative, because of this nonsense we'll be stuck here for who knows how long."

Apparently, all was still not well.

"It's not like we're in a hurry-"

"Yes we are," Kid cut him off. "I am the DWMA's headmaster and, unlike some, I can't just up and disappear for half a year-"

"Hey, I didn't disappear, Tsubaki knew where I was-"

"And she honoured your wish of keeping your location secret-"

"She did?" Black Star cut him off, raising his eyebrows in surprise before adopting a smirk. "Neat."

Kid looked like he was moments away from strangling something -or someone. " _Why_?" he eventually asked. "Why keep it a secret?"

"Hey, I was training-"

"You've been training at Death City since childhood! Why leave now?"

Well, Black Star could definitely not fully explain things now, not when they'd been complicated with this whole Champion business. "Wanted a change of scenery."

"A _what_?" Kid asked, baffled. "Why?!"

Black Star shrugged. "'Cause."

"That's not a reason-!"

"It is for me."

"It was thoughtless-"

"Dude, what?!" Black Star cut him off, frustration rising. "I don't have to like, write down an essay on the pros and cons of everything I do-"

"I'm not asking you to do that but you're being irresponsible-!"

Black Star stopped listening after that.

Irresponsible?

There were many less-than-flattering descriptions Black Star would accept as true. Reckless? Sure, he'd even treat such description as a badge of honour. Not a team player? Fair enough, but he'd been working on that and he'd improved a lot since he was younger. An idiot? Maybe not something to brag about, but it didn't matter because of his godly strength.

But _irresponsible_?

Black Star was many things but irresponsible was not one of them. Sure, he could be more responsible, but he had a good head on his shoulders. He could take care of himself and other people, he had done so in the past. He may have acted irresponsibly in the past, but he had more than paid for such mistakes. Calling him irresponsible may not be as bad of an insult as calling his confidence hubris, but if Kid had done the latter Black Star would have already punched him.

Instead, Black Star took a deep breath and calmed some of his nerves by tightly clenching his fists. He still couldn't concentrate on what Kid was saying, or if he was saying anything at all. Not that it mattered.

In fact, it didn't matter what Kid was saying because Black Star knew the perfect retort, especially when it came to cutting personal insults. The perfect counterpart to the Grim Reaper's _irresponsible_.

"No," Black Star began, voice low, "you're just too _controlling._ "

Kid went silent, eyes briefly widening before narrowing down into slits and looking away.

Black Star tensed when Kid's grip on the duvet tightened, expecting the Grim Reaper to throw him a haymaker any moment now. It'd been a long time since they fought, even longer since the nature of their fight wasn't sparing but more akin to a street brawl.

Then, as quickly as it came, the tension left Kid's shoulders. "I'm only trying to look out for everyone." The Grim Reaper's voice was barely above a whisper but it caused Black Star to grimace.

Shit. Black Star shouldn't have said that. Really, trading a low blow for a lower blow? Black Star should know between than that. He was supposed to be above God after all, and that included not responding to a jab with a sucker-punch.

At least he hadn't called Kid something worse, like neurotic, or obsessive. That would have been beyond bad taste, right? Black Star may or may not have a superiority complex, but he knew that Kid's issues ran way deeper and more convoluted.

Again, shit. Black Star never wanted to fight with Kid and he sort of understood where the Grim Reaper's grudge was coming from.

Maybe… He should apologise? Black Star could count the times he'd given a genuine sombre apology on one hand, but he liked Kid. He wanted them to at least stay friends.

Yeah, apologising might work. Black Star would say sorry and then Kid would say sorry and they could go back to playfully annoying each other.

Kid turned his back on Black Star and began adjusting the pillows on the bed. "I am going to sleep," he blankly said before Black Star could utter a word.

Black Star frowned. Sleep? He had pegged Kid as more of the type to stew and skulk overnight. "Thought you didn't need to sleep."

"Being with you is exhausting," Kid shot back, and Black Star would have found the quip amusing in any other context. Now, watching Kid bury himself under the multiple sheets and duvet just unnerved him.

Hah. Irresponsible his ass. In fact, Black Star was so responsible that Kid's uncharacteristic desire for sleep worried him. Just yesterday Black Star had to use some very creative blackmail techniques to make Kid take a nap, and now he was going to sleep on his own?

…Maybe Black Star's jab had been too well-aimed?

Black Star rubbed his forehead. Ugh. He wasn't good at this kind of stuff. And he was still hungry…

Stomach growling, Black Star trudged back to the table and began lifelessly eating the rest of the fruit and vegetables.

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 **Feedback is appreciated.**


	7. What You Have to Do

**It's abhorrent.**

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 **Chapter 7: What You Have to Do**

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The sun had completely vanished, cloudless blue sky turning a starry black, when there was a knock on the door.

Curious and thankful for the distraction, Black Star opened the door only to see two familiar cloaked figures, the tall and short pair that had told them the story of Atlantis.

Before Black Star even had the chance to tell them to leave him alone, the figures barged in, footsteps quiet as their masks turned to where Kid was.

"They are sleeping?" the taller figure said with a hint of surprise in their voice.

"I'll check," Black Star offered before either could protest, " _oi, Kid!_ " he yelled, causing the figures to jump in place and shush him, gestures that went completely ignored. " _Hey, you sleeping?!"_

The mass on the bed didn't even budge. Yup, Kid was dead to the world.

Black Star turned to the figures and shrugged. "Guess he's a heavy sleeper." Kid was definitely not a heavy sleeper, but he wasn't going to explain the intricate relationship between Death and sleep to two strangers. "You can come by later-"

"No, this is excellent," the taller figure said as it scanned the room, gaze lingering at Black Star, then Kid. "Blessed be, it is as we hoped."

Black Star blinked in confusion. "You… what?"

"Archiereus," the shorter figure tentatively said in a manner that indicated a title rather than a name, "the Champion is not aware of the aberrant nights."

Black Star frowned. What was that about the nights? Their last night on the island had gone along fine, but was there something more to it?

"Ah yes, of course," the so-called Archiereus began, giving Black Star a respectful nod. "You see Champion, though the Goddess still gives us golden days, her reign does not extend during nighttime. In tales of old, it was said the Late God ensured that each night was calm, quiet and peaceful, but nowadays…"

The Archiereus gestured to the window, where faint rays of moonlight shone through -hold on, _moonlight?!_

Black Star flung himself at the window, looked out, and froze.

The Moon. The old pre-Asura Moon stood above them, giving them a bloody grin.

That… That was impossible. There had been no Moon yesterday, and that had been an indication that they weren't in some wacko world, but now the Moon was back, smiling as if it'd never been engulfed by the black blood.

"And it is not just the stars that are lost without the Late God's stalwart oversight…"

Black Star slowly looked back to where Kid was unmoving. Was this affecting him too?

"Ah, it appears you have figured things out," came the Archiereus' voice. "Apologies for our intrusion. The purpose for our visit was to ensure and even help with what you had to do Champion."

"What… I have to do…?" Black Star absent-mindedly said, his mind replaying past events. Kid had been disoriented when he woke up today, but Black Star had chucked that up to the crazy day they'd had. Was there something else going on, or was Black Star being paranoid? Should he try waking Kid up right now? He may only get angrier at him and he more than deserved some rest…

"Yes, Champion," the Archiereus impatiently said with a nod. "Become one to overcome."

"Eh? The stuff you said about the Goddess and love?" Black Star and scratched the back of his neck. This was about the worst time to bring that stuff up again. "Yeah uh, it ain't gonna work."

"It has to," the Archiereus insisted, and Black Star had to take a step bac because this dude was invading his personal space. "You have to-"

"Uh, Kid doesn't like me -or people in general I guess- that way." Which was a bummer to be honest, but hey, they were still friends, despite their recent argument. Black Star could work with being friends. He liked Kid either way. "But don't worry, just leave it to your Champions and we'll sort this out in no time-!"

"It has to!" the Archiereus repeated, this time more desperate, giving Black Star pause.

"I can't force Kid to love me dude," Black Star said and rubbed his forehead. He was feeling light-headed. Maybe it was the incense; even after burning for hours its aroma stayed, and the two figures reeked of it too. Plus, having this type of conversation while Kid was literally in the room, sleeping or not, was the last thing he wanted to do.

The short figure looked between Black Star and their fellow. "Archiereus, perhaps we should-"

"Quiet," the Archiereus hissed and the figure went silent. "This is the furthest we've gotten." Their mask turned slowly from Black Star to Kid. "A Champion has returned, and _they_ have left the Temple. Making them _vulnerable_."

"Eh?" Black Star let out. Calling Kid vulnerable was laughable at best, suicidal at worst.

Also, _a_ Champion has returned? Wasn't Black Star _the_ Champion?

The Archiereus turned back to Black Star, taking a step towards them. "Love, unyielding." They took another step, and Black Star involuntarily tensed. "Love, _one way or another._ _They will know sorrow, one way or another_ ," they continued in a blank voice, as if possessed.

The Archiereus came even closer and Black Star took a step back.

What… what exactly did they want him to do?

"The duty of which falls to you, champion."

Black Star glanced at the Archiereus mask then at the rest of the room. The incense was making him feel flushed, as if he had a fever. His light-headedness had gotten worse, as if he had a light buzz.

Not quite knowing what was happening Black Star was turned around and pushed towards the bed.

"Go."

Slowly, Black Star reached the bed. Kid was there, only his head poking out of the covers. He was sleeping on his side, facing away from Black Star and the figures.

Seeing Kid's still form, everything clicked.

The village's hospitality, even when Kid was the Dark Champion, the supposed bane of their existence. The reason they'd been given a tiny house with a double bed as its epicenter. The persisting incense -which effects matched an _aphrodisiac_ \- the meaning of love _unyielding_ …

Black Star's blood ran cold. He blinked as his surroundings changed like coming down from a trip. The dimly lit room, the warm air, the sweat running down his chest, everything was so suffocating-

"Become one to overcome-"

And then there was the bed and Black Star's mind couldn't stop but shuffle through possible scenarios, of Kid splayed unconscious on the mattress, Black Star on top of him-

No!

His fingers twitched as cloth brushed past them; the Archiereus robe as they inched in closer, probably to push Black Star again.

How… how dare they!?

Black Star grasped the robe and pulled it along with the figure, turning 180 degrees and throwing it like a disk. They crashed against the doorframe with a pained gasp, the younger figure gasping in shock as they backed away from Black Star.

Even as the Archiereus painfully came to with a moan, the edges of their mask stained with blood, Black Star was not satisfied. He was used to punching people that pissed him off, but this…

This disgusted him to his very core.

Black Star took slow deliberate steps towards the Archiereus, now tended to by the short figure. Upon his approach, the two stilled, like deer caught in headlights.

"Fuck you," Black Star eventually managed to let out, each syllable dripping with disgust, "and fuck off."

"No!" the Archiereus insisted, and Black Star felt his resolve to not straying into the path of the Demon gravely tested. "You must- If you don't you will only meet the same fate-!"

Black Star grabbed Archiereus by the collar and threw him out, gaining a small satisfaction from watching them tumble down the hill, the sorter figure running after them.

He slammed the door, breaking its hinges. Adrenaline coursed through him, making his fists tremble and his knees wobble.

Muffled noise came outside the broken door. Were they running for their lives? Perhaps they would bring in reinforcements?

Black Star's fists tightened. Let them try! He'd take down this entire village-!

No, this was serious. He had to calm down and make a plan. He could not be his usual reckless self…

Responsible. He had to be responsible.

Black Star gulped and took several deep breaths, trying to slow his thrumming heartbeat.

That cloaked asshole would probably come back and probably bring a posy back. Black Star had no doubt he could kick simultaneously every single villager's ass, but he had no clue if they had set up some sort of trap of if they had fancy magic.

No, their safest option was leaving this village ASAP.

Black Star looked at the bed, his fury slowly ebbing into dread. Never in a million years would he have predicted this turn of events. Black Star just had a crush for crying out loud! He couldn't have known-

But he should have seen the signs-

But there weren't any signs of _this_ -

He should have gone with his gut-

But it was Kid that brought them here-

But Kid hadn't been to the village before and didn't have Black Star's trusty gut, Kid probably wasn't used to this, to the signs, but Black Star was supposed to, so why the fuck hadn't he-?

Black Star shook his head. Now was not the time to fucking dilly dally, he had to be responsible - _no_ , being a decent fucking human being- and get them, Kid especially, out of here immediately. There was still that hint that Black Star wasn't the only Champion and that meant if anyone else got to Kid while they were like this-

Black Star pulled the covers away, immensely grateful Kid had decided to sleep in his full outfit.

"Kid!" he hissed and shook the Grim Reaper's shoulder, not too concerned about a rude awakening. "Oi, wake up!"

No response.

"Kid!" he hissed, louder as his shaking intensified as well. "Come on, wake up!"

Still no movement.

 _Gah_ , why was Kid like this? Was it because of the Moon? Why wasn't Black Star affected?

What the hell was going on in this island?!

"Fine, if you wanna be this way," Black Star grumbled to himself as he heaved Kid on his shoulders in a cattle-like hold. Probably unsignifying for the both of them, but he didn't care, not now.

Cursing both at Atlantis and at himself, Black Star fled the village headed and into the woods.

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 **Feedback is appreciated.**


	8. Putting the Bad Things Behind

**A failed venture.**

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 **Chapter 8: Putting the Bad Things Behind**

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Kid crossed his hands, trying to regain some semblance of dignity as he was still in Black Star's cattle-like hold. "We had a mattress."

Upon receiving no response, Kid took a deep calming breath. Any sense of calm he managed to regain was briefly lost as he bobbed in Black Star's grasp.

"And food," the Grim Reaper evenly continued. "And clean water."

"…Yeah," came Black Star's mumbled reply.

Kid sighed. At least he got a response this time. "Good, so we are in agreement here. Now, can you tell me, precisely, why we _left_?"

As before, Black Star went silent, and Kid had to hold back from reaching up and Reaper chopping him.

In fact, Kid had done exactly that when he had woken up, after being thoroughly confused about why they were in the wilderness again and why Black Star was carrying him over his shoulder as if he was a grumpy cat.

"We're going camping again," came Black Star's response, eventually.

"Honestly, why do I even bother…" Kid muttered to himself and let himself go limp in Black Star's hold. "You can let me go at any time, you know."

"Sure."

Holding back a yelp when Black Star just let him go with no warning, Kid quickly stood up straight, composed himself and dusted off his jacket. "Much better."

He expected Black Star to let out a quip, a witty remark or simply an excited yell followed by recklessly charging into the woods, but Black Star kept his pace even.

Frowning, Kid followed after Black Sar. "Where are we going?"

"Dunno."

Kid's frown deepened at Black Star's low tone and how he didn't even bother turning around to acknowledge the Grim Reaper.

Kid let out a sigh. At first he thought he was imaging things, but he'd be lying if he said Black Star was acting weird and stand-offish ever since he woke up.

Speaking of which, Kid hadn't even been given a reason why they had left as such a hurry. Black Star had told him he had tried and failed to wake Kid up -which was another thing that worried the Grim Reaper- and that, lacking any other options, had carried him and left, but that had been about it. Any further prodding only resulted in vague answers or silence.

Honestly, Kid initially had half a mind to drag Black Star back to civilization, but he was now convinced that if he tried to do so, then they'd end up having a genuine, all-out brawl. Their argument yesterday had already looked like it was about to go that way.

A dreadful thought crossed Kid's mind. What if the argument they had yesterday was the reason Black Star was this closed-off? Was this Kid's fault?

No, if Kid was the cause of Black Star's moodiness, then he wouldn't have been taken along in Black Star's current excursion, right?

Still, Kid had been… unnecessarily rude, disrespectful even. He had taken a potshot at Black Star and Black Star had given one back. Mind, he still believed that Black Star's sudden disappearance had been inexcusable but calling him names was a sure-fire way for Black Star to disappear again, this time for good. Kid… didn't want that. He didn't want to drive Black Star away from him. Kid had no illusions, he already knew people put up with things when they were around him, just as he'd been putting up with an unbalanced world since his inception-

Ahem.

Point being, there were certain things that Kid could be open to Black Star about, situations where he appreciated, even required, Black Star's unique input. Despite their rocky first meeting where he had thought that Black Star was an interesting but overly-ambitious Meister, Kid now regarded him with… fondness. True, at first Kid viewed Black Star as arrogant, selfish, and short sighted, though he admired his resolve. It was an impression that had been turned on its head when Black Star had pulled him out of the infernal maddening hold of the Great Old One of Power, somehow preserving his sanity while still using the Great Old One's power for his own means. Though he had kept it mostly to himself, after that point Kid wanted -actively sought- to be by Black Star's side and when he disappeared for no reason…

It wasn't the same fondness Kid had for Liz and Patty, the pair being the closest thing the Grim Reaper now had to a family, or a general friendship-derived fondness he had for Maka, Soul and the rest of the Spartoi.

But, it wasn't romance. Having spent the last few years with human 'peers', and growing up exposed to mainstream culture, Kid had a fairly good guess on what romance entailed. He had even done some soul-searching about whether he had experienced romantic feelings, as they were so often regarded as universal feelings like happiness and sadness -and Kid certainly had experienced the latter. He had even asked his Father about it, ending up in a lengthy and occasionally awkward conversation about Grim Reapers, love, his Father's romantic history -or lack thereof- and how Kid should just be himself and 'everything would work out alright in the end~!'

That was all well and good, as Kid liked being himself, but being himself once entailed wanting to end all life, so some caution was advised, hence Black Star. After all, who better to provide such caution than one that had uppercutted Kid out of his Madness?

Point being, any anger Kid still had towards Black Star was because the assassin had acted uncharacteristically stupid when he disappeared. Worst of all, Black Star wouldn't even admit that he had acted rashly, if not even necessarily stupid. As Kid had told him time and time again, as Black Star certainly knew for himself, there were worse things than a Kishin Egg or a rogue Witch. If something had happened to Black Star, everyone else might have never known. Kid would learn eventually, but by then it would be too late and, Grim Reaper or not, it was still too early for him to mourn a close friend.

Yet it was obvious that Kid wasn't helping things. He and Black Star had barely caught up but already they'd had several arguments, an almost-fight, and now Black Star was obviously distraught and wouldn't talk to him-

So yes, Kid was, as always, very worried.

Maybe Kid should put Black Star's disappearance act in the wayside for now. First, he supposed he should find out why Black Star was now acting uncharacteristically avoidant.

"Black Star," Kid spoke up, his tone even.

Black Star's shoulder tensed as he stopped dead in his tracks. He didn't turn around though.

The Grim Reaper cleared out his throat before saying: "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Though Black Star still had his back turned on him, Kid gave him an encouraging smile, just in case.

"…No," Black Star eventually said, back still turned. "Nothing."

The Grim Reaper held back a grimace which came out as a frown; that was an outright lie if he ever heard one. He didn't even have to use his Soul Perception to see the obvious signs of avoidance present when one does lie.

So, something had happened at the village. Probably while Kid was sleeping, something serious considering Black Star had decided to carry him out.

Problem was, Kid hadn't sensed anything or anyone that could cause them trouble. The only suspects were the villagers, but Black Star could easily take them out so he wouldn't have seen them as a threat. Had he missed something?

Black Star stopped in his tracts and Kid caught up to him.

The overgrown pines of the hilly forest grew sparser. Moss and weeds grew thick on the ground, though they too, had a hard time trailing the large vertical stone structures that spanned across the area.

Black Star frowned.

"It looks like a wall," Kid said and looked at the vines that took advantage of crumbled nook and crannies as they snaked their way up weathered stone. "One built a very long time ago…"

"Huh…" Black Star let out as he craned his neck to look at the top of the wall. Despite its ancient age, the majority of it still stood at least an impressive dozen meters in height.

Black Star walked along the length of the wall and Kid followed after him, staring at the structure. The existence of a random ancient wall in the middle of a forest worried him. Human generally built walls for reasons they thought of as rational. Ancient walls in particular were used for a city's defenses.

"Woah."

Kid followed Black Star's voice just as he saw him walk into a collapsed portion of the wall and out of sight. In true Black Star fashion, he hadn't even bother checking the structural integrity of the adjacent parts before stepping over the rubble.

Eyeing the decaying structure with suspicion, Kid stepped over the collapsed portion as well. Just when he was about to tell Black Star to be more careful, Kid caught a glimpse of the area over the wall and froze.

It was as if they'd stepped back in time. Before them lay the outskirts of an ancient metropolis. Humble one-story buildings stood a few meters from the wall, being slowly replaced by grander two story and three story houses the further inside one looked. Their walls were an earthly brown, the color of the sand-dried blocks they were made from. Some of the buildings still had traces of paint and faint outlines of decorations.

This place was an archaeologist's wet dream. There was barely any decay in the buildings themselves, with only the smaller ones missing a few roof tiles that had crashed on the wayside. There was sparsely any vegetation; nothing here had been reclaimed by nature. It was as if this place had been protected from the passage of time.

In fact, maybe a bit of an overzealous protection, Kid thought as he looked back at the wall. The part that had collapsed had its rubble mostly located outside of the area they were in, as if it had been purposefully knocked down from people trying to escape.

To add to that, barely anything grew here; the grown was muddy and dry, any trees that still stood were long-dead husks and even weeds were nonexistent.

Kid was about to grab Black Star and get out of here, when he noticed the assassin's excited expression and paused.

Black Star gazed at the area around him with his mouth hanging open. "Wow, look at this place!" He out his hands up. "It's like a history book, but not boring!"

Kid wanted to say that history books weren't supposed to be boring -even if reading through them was a pain more frequently than not- but held himself off. Now was not the time to argue about the fun factor of history textbooks; now was the time to get himself and Black Star out of the suspiciously barren area.

Kid cleared his throat. "We should-"

"Whadda think this place is?" Black Star asked and Kid cut himself off.

"It very well could be the original Atlantis," Kid said. "But we still should…" His voice died in his mouth as any excitement Black Star had was slowly ebbed away from his frame.

"Oh." Black Star and crossed his hands. "Makes sense 'suppose."

Kid frowned. What had caused this change of attitude? Normally, Black Star would be ecstatic, already jumping in, out and around the ruins. In fact, Black Star was somewhat excited; even if he was trying -and failing- to hide it, Kid could tell by the way his soul sent out quick bursts of its wavelength. Still, to try and hide it in such a distraught manner…

Perhaps Kid should encourage Black Star to explore the area in hopes it would cheer him up. Kid couldn't sense any other presence of danger in the area. In fact, the only thing that set him of edge was the barren area and the strange way a particular part of the wall had come down and these things weren't necessarily a sign of danger.

Besides, Kid must have been imagining things. He was already paranoid enough, and this whole island threw him on edge, as if he was a sleep deprived human. Perhaps the land had undergone some intensive farming and had gone barren. Perhaps there was some other geological peculiarity about this place. Perhaps it was one among hundreds of possibilities.

In any case, if Black Star wasn't going to be excited about this, Kid would make up for it.

The Grim Reaper clasped his hands, looking at the building with a reserved smile. "This place isn't too bad. I don't suppose we'll find anything of use here, but there are plenty of opportunities for shelter and we are close to the coast, so we should be able to catch some fish there."

Yes, that sounded adequately excited.

Black Star slowly turned to look at Kid, expression guarded. "Wait, are you saying we camp here?"

"We should probably explore the area more," Kid quickly said. If said exploring ended up with them outside this strangely-barren area, then all the better for him. "In any case, I don't see why we shouldn't. This place is deserted."

Black Star placed a hand on his chin. "So, there's no one around…"

"Quite. We're quite a distance away from the village, and as far as I can tell, it was the only settlement left on Atlantis." Kid gave Black Star a shrug. "As far as I can tell we're alone here."

Alone, Kid mentally repeated. In an unknown area. Completely exposed to the elements.

This was going to be another long night for Kid.

"And you said the beach's close by?" Black Star asked and Kid nodded. He narrowed his eyes towards the hidden coast then looked right back at Kid. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Surprisingly, I think so."

Black Star gave him a grin. "We go…"

"Fishing-?"

"Swimming-!" Black Star announced at the same time as Kid.

"…We do both?" Kid hesitantly offered after a few seconds of silence.

Wordlessly, Black Star hunched over, shoulders trembling. Kid was about to ask if he was feeling alright when Black Star stared to cackle, frame shaking in delight. Kid joined in as well, glad he had gotten Black Star out of his sour mood, even if briefly.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 **Feedback is appreciated.**


	9. Go Fish

**Mostly fun and games.**

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 **Chapter 9: Go Fish**

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

"Yo, Kid, come check me out!"

Kid was fairly certain he couldn't get a heart attack, but such belief was currently under heavy fire.

"Black Star, get down from there-!"

"Yo!" Black Star yelled back with a wave as if he couldn't hear Kid when the Grim Reaper was completely certain he could. "Isn't this like, the coolest place to jump off from?!"

Yes, Kid was definitely having a heart attack. "Jump _off?!_ That… _thing_ you're on is barely standing upright!"

Black Star only responded with laughter and Kid cursed his luck as he run to where Black Star was standing. Or more accurately, where Black Star was currently _balancing_ on, because the structure was anything but stable. The tall tower of stones, perhaps a former lighthouse of some sorts, was on the brink of collapse, its stones having fallen away and torn off by the sea. Some areas looked as if entire structurally important sections were missing yet the whole thing remained precariously upright, like a Jenga tower moments before collapsing.

Maybe Kid was overreacting, since the only thing that was left of the structure was the tower itself, any dams or walkways having been long eroded by the sea. However, the tower was at least a dozen meters tall and there were sea urchins in the area. Kid supposed he could fly up and get Black Star down. However, he feared that if he did do so then Black Star would jump down just to prove he could. But… Black Star was at least now talking to him.

Kid craned his neck to look at Back Star and cupped his hands like a megaphone. "We can go for a swim if you'd like," he yelled back, as if he was a negotiator in a hostage situation. "But _please_ , get down from there."

From what little Kid could see of Black Star's frame, most of it obscured by a brilliant setting sun, he took a moment to ponder Kid's suggestion. "Alright!"

Kid sighed in relief. "Stay where you are! I'm coming to get you down!"

Black Star gave him a thumbs-up, and Kid, somewhat reassured, stared at the sea between him and the crumbling tower. He supposed he could still fly, but since he was going for a swim anyways, he might as well swim to where Black Star was.

Kid quickly undressed, not wanting to ruin his clothes any further by saltwater, keeping only his underwear on. The sea before him stretched wide, blue, calm and oil-like smooth.

With a running start, Kid ran in, dived and swam breaststroke towards the tower. The water was wonderfully chill against the afternoon's warmth and the hot northern wind. Below him, the bottom of the sea descended, was then covered in a thick layer of black seaweed, and eventually disappeared.

As Kid approached Black Star he noticed the occasional series of boulders poking from the depths like mountain ranges, with a variety of clams, sea urchins and various crabs busying themselves across their surface. Schools of fish would briefly ascend only to quickly moved out of Kid's away.

Eventually Kid reached the edge of the tower and looked up at Black Star. "Alright, stay where you are and I'll come up-"

"Wahoo!"

Before Kid realized what was happening, Black jumped off, curled himself into a ball and cannonballed right by Kid, making the water explode. Kid moved out of the way and found himself underwater. Mildly disoriented, Kid swam around and just when he was rising up, he glanced at the bottom of the sea, of the rocks stretching down into a dark welcoming abyss-

Kid resurfaced with a gasp and glared at a grinning Black Star. "What was that?!"

"You didn't tell me how to get down from there," Black Star said with the nonchalant air of someone who had knowingly broken an unwritten rule.

Just when Kid was considering whether he should hold Black Star underwater for a few seconds just so he could experience a glimpse of all the stress Kid was put on, a horrible creaking noise came from the tower.

Black Star's smile faltered as he and Kid looked up at a now-leaning tower. "Uh, is that-?"

"It's collapsing!" Kid yelled as he grabbed Black Star's collar, activated his jets and propelled them out of the way. They were pelted by small debris, larger stones hitting the water next to them until they went out of range just when the tower fully collapsed. The heavy stones sprayed water everywhere and created a series of waves that disrupted the sea's otherwise calm surface.

Black Star's mouth formed a perfect 'o' as he watched the destruction before breaking into a wide smirk. Kid only despaired; Grim Reaper or not, he swore he was going to leave his last breath in this accursed island.

"That was awesome!" Black Star yelled as he wrapped his hand over Kid's shoulder and pulled him close. "It's like we were Indiana Jones chased by that giant boulder, only at sea and with an ancient lighthouse!"

"Including the almost getting crushed part," Kid muttered.

"Yeah thanks for that quick thinking. I mean, I was gonna punch all the pieces out of the way, but with your way we got to see the thing collapse!"

Kid didn't know what was worst; that he agreed with Black Star that he could punch a collapsing tower of the way, of the fact that he knew Black Star could do so from experience.

But, they were interacting like old.

"Is that enough swimming for today, or do you want to destroy any more ruins?"

"Come on, I just jumped in…" Black Star moaned, though he looked down at his stomach moments later. "But all that exploring has made me pretty hungry…"

Kid frowned. Ever since they had walked over the stone wall they hadn't come across any vegetation, let alone anything edible. If they wanted to gather food like last time they'd camped, they'd need to retrace their steps back into the forest and forage. Alternatively…

"We can try fishing," Kid offered. There were fish in the sea at least, and it was about time Black Sar had something to eat that wasn't fruit and the occasional vegetable.

Black Star let out another moan. "Fishing's boring…"

Kid scoffed. "We don't have time for traditional fishing." He gestured to where beach gave way to a rocky cliff that curved around until it formed an imaginary straight line with the collapsed lighthouse. "This area forms a harbor, a dead-end for any marine life. You can stand where the water is shallow and catch any fist that I redirect towards you."

Black Star frowned at the last part before his brow shot up in realization. "Oh yeah, cuz of the avoiding thing…" He puffed his chest, causing him to rise a few centimeters from the water. "I'm gonna get us a giant tuna!"

Kid's face fell. "I don't think that species is endemic to these waters…"

"I'm gonna catch one anyways!"

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Kid frowned as another school of fish did a sharp turn and swam away from open waters and into the harbor. Like before, these fish were small, tiny enough to be eaten whole in one bite.

The Grim Reaper turned to the shore where he and Black Star -but mostly he- had made a rudimentary stove from the stones lining the coast. A couple of more stones had been moved to make a cave-like shelter where the cliff rose from the beach, while seaweed dried on the rocks, most of it to be burnt along with a few weeds that grew among the rocks.

Kid's frown deepened. If they couldn't catch any fish, Black Star may have to try catching a few crabs or even a sea urchin; unfortunately, the seaweed that grew in the area was inedible, made up of long black-and-grey film-like parts. Even if Black Star did catch something, the fish that had so far gotten to him were to small and they'd have to gather a sizable pile of them to-

A maniacal laughter broke Kid from his thoughts and caused to face Black Star, briefly forgetting to swim the moment he did so.

As if possessed, Black Star was hunched over, his hands rapidly moving in and out of the water. A pile of writhing fish was forming on the dry rocks behind him.

Kid couldn't help but stare until Black Star stopped his demonic movements, cracked his back and reciprocated the look. "Hey, I got us a couple! Send me another one!"

Kid's stare switched between Black Star and the fish pile. "Can… can you eat these?"

"Sure I can, they're fish!"

Kid blinked. Even at a distance, the pile looked to be half of Black Star's height. Surely that was enough for him-

Water splashed as Black Star jumped over a few rocks as if chasing after something. "I SAW AN OCTOPUS-!"

"Leave it alone, we've got enough food!"

"Eh?" Black Star paused and gestured to the fish pile. "Dude, I'm eating all of this for sure."

"I'll be fine, I don't like fish," Kid shot a semi-lie. It wasn't that he didn't like fish specifically because of their taste or anything like that; rather the idea of meat-eating was… contestable, for lack of a better term. Kid wouldn't refuse a meaty meal if offered, but he didn't go out of his way to have meat. As Death, eating a creature's meat felt like adding insult to injury, especially when it had been killed for that exact purpose.

Black Star pouted bust stepped away nonetheless. "Fine, suit yourself."

As Black Star trudged to the shore, Kid swam back as well. When he could reach the bottom with his feet, Kid dived so he could bring some order into the chaos that was his salt-ridden hair.

The Grim Reaper accidentally inhaled a faint trickle of water as he resurfaced. A cough bubbled up his burning throat and Kid was back at the underwater pool in the temple, cold and lightless while water filled his lungs-

Kid's eyes shot open and he hacked the last remaining droplets out. Had he just imagined the familiarity-?

No, it was probably nothing. Just this place throwing him off balance.

"Ugh…" came Black Star's voice as he made his way back to water, hopping from stone to stone on one foot. "I lost my shoe." He looked up at Kid with an apologetic grimace. "Must have fallen way back when I jumped off, so I'll be back in a sec-"

"It's most likely buried under a ton of stone," Kid shot back and crossed his hands.

"Then I'll just break it," Black Star nonchalantly said as he hurried swam freestyle to where the collapsed tower was.

With a sigh, Kid followed after Black Star back and shot him a concerned look when he dived with no warning. Kid swam above the surface, waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting-

Black Star resurfaced before Kid even saw him approaching, taking in a deep breath and shaking his head, throwing water everywhere. "Woah, this place is pretty deep!"

Kid lowered the hand he had used to protect from the water. "You didn't find you shoe, did you?"

Black Star gave him a sheepish grin. "Ha! I was just exploring, I'll get it next time."

"I can get it," Kid offered, "or at least help you lift a boulder," he added when Black Star was about to protest. He would also keep an eye on Black Star if he tried something stupid underwater where, God-surpassing or not, he still couldn't breathe; however, if Kid had said that latter part out loud, Black would be categorically against it.

Black gave Kid a long look. Kid reciprocated with a stubborn glare.

"Race you to the bottom!" Black Star yelled and dived before Kid could react.

"Black Star-!" Kid called out but followed his example soon after and dived as well.

While underwater, Kid kept his gaze focused on Black Star and swam towards him, slowly catching up. Though Black Star had left his shirt on the shore he had left his pants on, which had ballooned in size and were dragging him back.

Kid passed Black Star and he turned himself around, facing the surface and the boy. He was relieved to see Black Star's cheeks were puffed out, so he still had some air supply left.

Black Star looked over Kid and pointed to an area behind the Grim Reaper. Kid turned around to see a large stone emerge from the depths, probably the structure that made up the top of the collapsed lighthouse, while next to it was…

The abyss.

Kid stilled. His surroundings dimmed and what little air he had left raced was released. His legs and hands went numb, his mind and vision became fuzzy-

With a faint desperate awareness, Kid activated his Soul Perception only to be met with a blinding, writhing yellow. He could see his own soul, his own wavelength, as disconcerting a sigh as seeing one's own nose, and it was moving out of his control as if it had a mind - _minds_ \- of its - _their_ \- own…

Something blocked his vision of the abyss, a surface with five tube-like extensions coming out of one end.

Hand? Was that his hand?

The shadow passed, and Kid was facing a carved stone wall, the edges of the Temple's xexmxpxxtxyx pool. His vision returned but it was blurred, like layering multiple instances of a scene from a movie, only with each scene being slightly misaligned and out of sync across each instance.

What…?

Like sliding back a movie reel, Kid sank down the freshwater, reaching greater and greater depths. His hands were pointed to the depths, out of Kid's failing sight and closing in on something soft. A pair of unknown hands snaked up his arms, their weak grips strengthening-

Kid's world went entirely black. He had no voice, no hands, no body, _no soul_ -

"Kid?" came a muffled faraway voice and Kid's surrounding brightened again, the darkness giving way to dimly-lit saltwater and a faint body awareness.

Who…?

Hands.

Something, _someone_ had grabbed on to Kid and Kid grabbed them back and for a second, he got the urge to drag that someone down to the depths-

"Kid!" came the voice again, trapped in air bubbles that raced to the surface, bubbles that come out smaller and smaller until they eventually ceased-

One of the hands let go and landed on his cheek moments after. The hand was warm, a wavelength steadily coursing under it, occasionally sending out pulses of erratic, worried energy-

Kid opened his eyes and saw Black Star's face as he was pulled up, towards the surface and away from the abyss.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 **The fish Black Star and Kid caught are a mixture of Atherina, European anchovies and small bogue (the latter of which has the taxonomic name** ** _Boops boops_** **which is the best species name up to date).**

 **Feedback is appreciated.**


	10. Mangled Miscommunication

**Yelling is how you show concern too.**

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 **Chapter 10: Mangled Miscommunication**

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"Kid? Kid!" Black Star repeated as he used his free hand to bring he and Kid to shore. Though Kid's eyes were open, his gaze was distant and hazy and that sent Black Star's heart racing.

Should he try slapping Kid? It worked in movies…

No, that was probably a stupid move. Besides, Kid was slowly shifting in his tight grasp. Maybe he hadn't fully snapped out whatever trance he was in, but he was getting there.

Dammit, what had happened to Kid? At first Black Star had thought Kid had seen something, or maybe realized that he wasn't going to win the race, but then Kid stopped moving and his eyes were closed. When Black Star grabbed him out of worry Kid started sinking and Black Star had quickly went up, with Kid weighing him down quite a bit.

Black Star's foot touched the seabed and he dragged Kid to the shore. Kid put up a bit of resistance, occasionally stumbling, but eventually both of them were sitting on the sand, waves lapping at their feet. Kid, now almost fully conscious, hunched over and hacked, occasionally throwing up water.

After a few minutes, when Kid didn't look like he was about to cough out another lung, Black Star reached out to Kid. "What happened?"

Kid wiped his mouth and swiped Black Star's hand away. "I'm fine-"

"Dude, that wasn't fine," Black Star shot back with a frown, "that was like, the exact opposite of fine-"

"I told you, I'm fine-"

"And I'm telling you you're not-!"

"And you know that, how?"

Black Star's eye twitched at Kid's nonchalant tone. "You weren't moving! And you started sinking-!"

Kid looked away. "I'd be fine-"

"No you wouldn't-!"

"You don't know that-"

"Then tell me what the hell happened!"

Kid didn't answer immediately, letting out another cough. His expression momentarily softened but was quickly replaced by a scowl. "You first."

Black Star frowned. Of all the things for Kid to be right now, the last thing he expected was childish. "What? I don't have to say anything-"

Kid let out a bitter laugh. "Oh sure, I get to tell you, but you don't tell me anything-"

" _Huh_?!" Black Star shot back, genuinely confused as to where this trainwreck of the conversation was going. "What are you talking about-?!"

"You disappeared!" Kid yelled over him and both he and Black Star went silent.

Black Star could only stare in increasing confusion and dread as Kid's frame deflated and rested his hand between his palms. The suffocating silence was barely held at bay by the gentle lap of waves and the occasional cry of a cicada that hadn't been scared out of its territory yet.

"Why…?" Black Star cleared his throat, trying to make his voice softer, "why are you bringing this up _again_?" At this point Black Star was willing to admit that his disappearing act hadn't been one of his wisest decisions, but he didn't get why Kid held such a grudge of it, as if Black Star had gone and eaten a soul or something.

"Because I had no idea if something had happened to you."

Black Star's frown deepened. So Kid had been worried for him? "Like what?"

Kid sucked in a breath. "Oh, I don't know, take your pick! Abducted, tortured, hell even an accident," he counted each possibility with his fingers before sighing and rubbed his eyes. "Even with Asura and the Gorgon sisters gone, there are so many bad actors out there that I just..." he trailed off and glanced at Black Star. "I was afraid. Afraid that next time we saw each other would be the last one."

Black Star had to admit, that last line was _grim_. Most importantly though…. "Pfff, nothing will happen to me, I'm basically a God-"

"Gods die, Black Star," Kid said with a tired sigh. "We've both had our fair share of them and it's the reason we're here in this stupid island."

Black Star did grimace this time. He had a pretty good idea why they were here.

Plus, Kid hadn't been holding a grudge at him all this time, like Black Star imagined. Sure there was anger, but it was one born out of worry, like whenever Tsubaki cry-yelled at him when he showed off his bungee-jumping-without-a-rope technique.

Black Star felt stupid.

"In any case, I don't know what happened while we swimming, so there's that," Kid sardonically added. "Lots of good that'll do," he muttered under his breath, barely audible.

Black Star held back a flinch. Maybe, he should try sharing some personal stuff that had to do with this island too, namely Black Star's increasingly likely theory was that the reason he'd been picked as a Champion was because he had a crush on Kid. This was about the worst time to bring this up, but maybe Kid would calm down a bit if Black Star revealed the most embarrassing and less horrific details concerning it. Hell, Kid may even find it funny and cheer up a bit.

"Uh," Black Star began with all the eloquence he could muster. "About the… uh, why we're here part…"

"Yes?" Kid asked without bothering to look at him.

"I, uh… I have... a confession to make." Black Star continued and felt his cheeks warm up. Dammit, why had he said ' _confession'_?! Of all the other less embarrassing phrases that in the English language, like 'admit guilt', 'let the cat out of the bag' and, best of all, 'spill the beans', why had Black Star gone the way of a bad rom-com?

Kid narrowed his eyes in confusion but nodded nonetheless. "Go on."

Black Star swallowed a knot that had formed in his throat. "I think I know why I was chosen as a Champion."

Kid's face fell. "I don't have time for jokes. If you're about to say because you defeated a Grim Reaper before-"

"That's not it!" Black Star protested, and more heat rose to his face. "I… Ugh..." Goddammit, he was the one who had surpassed God, not a blushing schoolgirl.

"You what?" Kid's eyebrow rose in concern. "Are you in trouble-?"

"No it's not like that…" Although Black Star now wished what he wanted to say had more to do with him being blackmailed by what remained of Arachnophobia than admitting his crush to the Grim Reaper. "Ok fine! Here's it is!"

Kid stared expectantly.

"I… may…" Kid inched in closer, " _haveacrushonyou_!" Black Star blurted out, following the 'tearing off a band-aid' method of dealing with unpleasant conversations.

"You… what?"

"Ilikeyoubutlikereallylikeyou, ya… know…" Black Star repeated, only with less conviction.

Kid stayed silent.

"Uh ha, well, ya know how it is… uh…" Black Star continued and trailed off when Kid remained silent. He tried to grin but it came out as a grimace. "Sorry?"

Kid frowned. "Why are you apologizing?"

Black Star let out a stream of incomprehensible sentence fragments.

"How long?" Kid cut him off.

"…I dunno." Black Star scratched the back of his neck. "It's not like a clear-cut thing, but uh, I'd say before we ended up here…."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kid said with a strained tone.

"I didn't want to!" Black Star shot back louder than he expected.

Kid's face switched to a scowl. " _Why_ -?"

"Because!" Black Star cut him off, now full-on yelling again. "And you can't get mad at me about that, it's not like I can control who my crush is!"

"This doesn't have to do with your crush, it has to do with keeping it a secret!" Kid cut him off.

Black Star did a double take. "…That's what you're mad at me about?!"

"Of course I'm mad about keeping it a secret! What else would I be mad about?!"

"I thought you were mad because I liked you!"

Kid tilted his head and spread his hands in utter confusion. "What- Why would I be mad at you about that?!"

Black Star copied Kid's gesture. "I don't know, it seemed obvious!"'

"It's not!"

Black Star paused. If Kid wasn't angry about Black Star liking him, then that meant… "Then we're yelling at each other again for no reason!"

"Apparently, but what else is new?! Ugh!" Kid let out a long-suffering sigh and rubbed his temples.

Black Star crossed his arms and kicked at a stray pebble. He didn't feel like screaming back this time.

"You should have told me earlier," Kid softly began as he looked up at Black Star. "You think has to do with why we're here?"

Black Star shrugged and looked away. Even with the truth out, Black Sar was still embarrassed. Kid's nonchalant-but-not-really attribute just made things worse. "Think so. I kinda realised I had a crush during that whole Champion spiel." His throat tightened, and he let out a cough. "After that, we uh, had that convo and from what you were saying then I thought it would be a dick move to bring it up…"

"That's…" Kid gave Black Star a long look, "thoughtful of you."

Black Star puffed his chest. "Hey, I can do thoughtful."

"Were you planning to tell me anytime soon, or…?"

Black Star frame slightly deflated. The only chance Black Star had had to bring up his crush was after the conversation about the Champions, but he and Kid had fought and then the two figures came into their room…

Dammit it all. If it was up to Black Star, Kid would never know about what being a Champion of the Light fully entailed and Black Star would bonk his head after they went back home so the matter would be completely forgotten.

"Maybe, but after we got out of this weird island," Black Star said with another shrug and frowned at Kid. "Why did you want me to tell you in the first place? Most people don't want to know about uh..."

"Because then we could talk," Kid said with a sigh. "And sort ourselves out, like we're doing now. But with less screaming," he added as an afterthought.

Black Star crossed his arms. "There's nothing to talk about. I now know you don't do romance, so don't worry about that I…" he paused, the memories of their nightly stay at the Atlantean village being once dragged up like a reanimated corpse. "I'm not gonna be a dick about it or anything…" When Kid's response was a calculating look, Black Star gave him a frown. "What?"

"Right, well, since you two are in the same boat, I suppose she won't mind you knowing…" Kid muttered, mostly to himself than Black Star, before composing himself. "I've been in the same situation with Liz."

Black Star choked on his own spit and his jaw hit the floor. Liz? With Kid? He knew Kid and Liz were close but as far as Black Star had known it was like the relationship he had with Tsubaki; very close but strictly platonic.

Also, that was extremely juicy gossip that he would certainly tell it to Tsubaki when they got home. The teasing opportunities alone were _endless_.

"It was less… loud, but the conversation was similar to what we're having now."

"Stuck in a weird island with no way out?" Black Star blurted out.

Kid gave him an unamused look. "I was referring to the talking past each other part."

Black Star gave him a sheepish look.

"She got closure," Kid continued with a sigh. "And I think in the end we both benefited from knowing where we stand, instead of this…"

"Unresolved sexual tension," Black Star jokingly said. Honestly, the awkwardness had mostly gone away by now, replaced by a layer of acceptance, like fondly remembering a non-traumatic awkward event from childhood.

Kid's resulting grimace had Black Star try and fail to hold back a laugh. "I was going to say 'ambiguity' but that term works well enough I suppose."

Black Star let out another laugh. Damn, if this was awkward for him then he could only imagine how Liz felt, especially when she didn't have an adventure to distract her. Also, Black Star hoped there wouldn't be a growing 'rejected-by-the-Grim-Reaper' club he'd have to join. That'd be embarrassing.

His laugh was interrupted by a faint rumbling. Black Star looked inland where dark clouds gathered, lightning occasionally flashing among them.

Kid's expression went taut again. "And a thunderstorm is coming. _Perfect_. We won't be able to start a fire with all this rain and I don't trust these buildings to hold strong…"

"Spooky mountain's close," Black Star interrupted Kid's mumbling, pointing to the jagged mountain line that rose opposite to where they'd come from. "You said the temple there is empty right?"

"There was one more person, but they were unconscious…"

"Then we can go there!" Black Star and gave Kid a thumbs up. "I mean, it looks like a box so we won't have to worry about the storm and stuff. And I can carry the fish." Also, maybe that weird person was still in the temple. They may know what the hell was going on with this Champion business, the encroaching night as well as whatever had happened to Kid.

Kid narrowed his eyes at Black Star. "Have you been holding out on me?"

"Hey! I'm not an idiot-"

"No," Kid said with a small smile. "You're very thoughtful."

Black Star was stunned into silence and only let out a mumbled 'thanks' as he and Kid packed up and headed towards the Temple protruding unnaturally from the dark mountain, a storm behind them.

Hopefully that place would have some answers.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 **Feedback is appreciated.**


	11. Into The Bowels

**Dark, but dry.**

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 **Chapter 11: Into The Bowels**

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The temple was just as dark and unwelcoming as when Kid had woken up in it. The only change were the slightly slippery tiles that made up the Temple's entrance, including a door of cyclopean proportions that nonetheless creaked open when Black Star and Kid approached. Kid hadn't paid attention the first time he left the temple, but the door somehow reacted to the presence of the Grim Reaper's Wavelength, which brought up question of how and why it had been engineered that way.

In any case, the dry darkness that stretched before them was preferable than the damp cloudy skies and the two stepped inside the Temple. Or at least it was for Kid, whose clothes were soaked, and who had to suffer the smell of slowly decomposing fish.

"I can't see a thing!" Black Star let out, his voice echoing along the smooth black stone.

"Stay close," Kid said as he stepped next to Black Star. Though he could see in the dark, his vision was made up of only vague monochrome shapes. His Soul Perception was active in the background as well, though Kid doubted it would be of much use here.

He thought about summoning one of his jets and lightly activating it, but that would barely give out enough light, not to mention Kid could have to be careful to not accidentally fling himself on a wall.

Behind them, the door shuttered close with a hair-raising creak, creating a gust of wind that ruffled their hair.

"Charming," Kid muttered under his breath as they were bathed in complete darkness. He looked at Black Star, who was staring straight ahead with a jutted chin, eyes narrowed into slits as if he could spontaneously gain night vision. Honestly, with all that nonsense they've been put through recently, Black Star might just do so-

"What are we waiting for?!" Black Star said, abandoning his quest for staring the darkness away and freeing one of his hands to point further into the Temple, his makeshift sack of fish dangerously tittering to one side. "Let's go-!"

"Wait, someone's coming," Kid grabbed Black Star before he could take a step. "Soul Perception," he added before Black Star could ask.

A light appeared from around the corner, faint and yellow-tinted. Slow but steady thumps followed soon after, as if it was held high, higher than any human could reach, and dangled as if hung from a cord. Its appearance was immediately followed by rhythm thumps of wood against stone, in accordance with the light's waggles. A figure held on it, with only skeleton-thin hands peeking through thick layers of cloth.

"Who dares intrude…?!" the figure began in a booming feminine voice, only to falter once Kid and Black Star stepped into the light. Immediately the figure kneeled, her hands still clasping a thin but tall staff where an old lantern hung via a string.

"Milord," she continued, her voice losing the domineering tone and falling on a humbler dulcet tone.

Black Star gave Kid a look and he quickly shrugged in response. "Who are you?"

"I'm but a lowly servant," the figure curtly said.

"I would prefer a name," Kid continued, unimpressed. He could technically discern a name if he took a long hard look one's the soul. However, Kid tried to avoid that. Some people found it rude.

"I'm but a lowly Priest," the woman insisted.

Kid narrowed his eyes as he examined the figure from head to toe. Was she like the figures from the village, but for Kid instead of Black Star? Considering their stories and hesitancy towards the Temple and Kid, his biggest worry was that anyone on the 'Dark Champion's' side would carry a weapon or would be hostile. However, the only thing she seemed to be carrying was a lantern.

"So, is this like your place or something?" Black Star asked as he looked behind the Priest, only to be met with more darkness. "Also, do you have like, a fire pit? We brought fish-"

"And who are you?" the Priest cut Black Star off, her voice slowly returning to her authoritarian tone.

"He's with me," Kid said, figuring that if person referred to herself as Priest of the Grim Reapers, she would at least not try and pull anything against him.

Immediately, the Priest backed down. "Ah. I see. Then apologies for my intrusion-"

"Hey, hold on you don't have like, a spiel for us or something?" Black Star asked as he looked at the Priest with a frown.

"Right," Kid continued, "no surprises held in store for us?"

"There is no need."

"Figures I got the pushy ones…" came Black Star's muttering and Kid had to hold back an amused smile. He had to agree that was oddly fitting, though the Grim Reaper would appreciate if his 'Priest' would act less asocial.

"It is known what needs to be done," the Priest continued.

Black Star looked at Kid. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Black Star, I really don't think this matters…" Kid with a sigh. "Really, what good can come out of this? That I'm supposed to romance you as well, or some other nonsense?" Honestly, he did not want to go through the same awkwardness between them when Black Star had been told he needed to go full rom-com on Kid to save this island.

Black Star flinched. "Romance, yeah…" he muttered with a grimace and looked away, puzzling Kid. He thought Black Star would laugh along and say it was embarrassing or brag about it or something.

Right, perhaps Kid's rejection was too fresh for Black Star's mind. Strange though, he never had him for the sort.

A loud rumbling noise reverberated through the walls, reminding Kid of the cries of a dying whale. He glanced around momentarily alarmed-

Only for his face to drop when Black Star scratched his growling stomach with a pout and shifted his sack of fish. "So, about that dinner…"

"Right…" Kid turned to the Priest. "You wouldn't happen to have a stove lying around here, would you? A firepit would do as well."

"There are supplies," the Priest curtly said. "I will go prepare for the night…"

Kid would take that as a yes. At least they were making progress on that front.

As the Priest stood up, they gave Kid another hurried bow. "And my apologies for disturbing you. I will remain unheard from now on…"

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

They had a torch, a very rudimentary lit pit and a stone they were currently using as a stove, where rows of tiny fish were sizzling on. It was as good as they could do, in Kid's opinion.

Even the fish smell was getting more tolerable, as they were slowly grilled on the makeshift stove. Black Star certainly seemed to be enjoying them, considering he was scarfing down the smaller finger-sized fish in one bite.

"This isn't too bad," Black Star said as he licked his fingers before picking up a bigger fish and took some time to debone it. "Wish we had spices though, or even some salt."

Kid watched Black Star eat with little interest. His gaze kept darting at the shadows; in combination with his Soul Perception, he would occasionally catch sight of the Priest skittering across the edges of his vision.

Eventually, Kid's patience wore thin. "I know you're there," he said at the shadows where the Priest was hiding. Black Star swallowed his bit and glanced at Kid in confusion.

When he got no reply and noticed that the Priest's soul and by extension their body, was trying to stay very still, Kid frowned. Great, had he just made the situation worse?

"Aren't you hungry or something?" Kid asked the darkness.

"…The water sustains me," came the Priest's low voice eventually.

Kid was hoping her words had a secondary hidden meaning which implied she consumed more than just pure water, but nothing on this island made sense.

Next to him, Black Star continued eating. Kid wondered if he had noticed the Priest's presence too but just hadn't said anything.

"We have fish," Kid called out. "They're probably edible." Black Star gave him another look as he was halfway wolfing down another fish and Kid shrugged. "I mean, you'll eat anything."

As Black Star reciprocated with a harmless shoulder punch which earned him a barely concealed smirk and a light shove from Kid, a figure emerged from the shadows.

Kid and Black Star stopped their play-fighting as the Priest inclined towards Kid's direction. "If you will allow me to indulge…"

"Please do," Kid implored her, worried that she took up the offer of eating food of such dubious quality. Had she only been drinking the water here?

Wordlessly, the Priest sat down opposite to Kid and reached out for the smallest fish that had been prepared. From the way her robes -more like rags at this point- folded and bent, her frame appeared to be skeletal, as were the fingers that revealed themselves under her many cloths.

"So what do you think?" Black Star wiped his mouth, straightened his back and pointed at himself. "I, the Great Black Star, caught them!"

The Priest didn't respond, munching on the tiny fish like a mouse.

Black Star's face briefly fell before he struck another seemingly casual pose. "So like, you've been here long?"

Again, the priest did not respond.

At this, Black Star's slumped in annoyance. "Hey, you gone deaf or something?"

Like before, Black Star got no response.

Kid frowned. Why was she not responding? Her hearing didn't appear to be damaged as she had heard them before?

Oh no, was the fish really that bad?

"Are you enjoying the fish?" Kid asked.

"Yes," the Priest immediately said.

Black Star pointed an accusatory finger to the Priest. "Hey! You responded to Kid!"

If the Priest was surprised by a finger centimetres away from her face, she didn't show.

Black Star's frown turned into a scowl. "Hey-!"

"Black Star," Kid said and grabbed on to the hem of his trousers just in case he tried to lunge at the Priest. "Please calm down."

Black Star looked back at Kid with vexed expression. "But she's totally ignoring me!"

"She is, and it's quite rude," Kid agreed.

"Apologies, milord," the Priest said with a bow.

"Hey, I'm the one you should be saying sorry to!"

Once again there was no response or acknowledgement from the Priest.

With Black Star only getting angrier next to him, Kid let out an exasperated sigh. "Just ignore her. What can you do, throw her into the pool or-?"

"No!" As if electrified, the Priest stood up and backed away, her voice trembling. "No, not the Well, I'm not a Champion!"

Before Kid could ask her what she meant, she had taken off and blended with the shadows one again. Even when using his Soul Perception, Kid only saw her soul retreat further away into the Temple.

"…What the hell was that?" Black Star asked after a few moments.

Kid rubbed his forehead. He was feeling a headache form.

"Whatever, she's a weirdo," Black Star continued before he ate another one of the finger-sized fish whole. "So, what's our plan? Cuz all I got so far is kick the Goddess' butt and force her to take us home."

"Honestly, that might just do the thing," Kid said with a sigh. "But we'll need to locate her first, and also make sure that if we do end up fighting we don't cause her serious injuries… And there are all the people on this island as well."

Black Star let out an agreeing sound as he wolfed down another handful of fish.

Kid clicked his tongue, frustration bubbling. "This Goddess ought to take up the responsibilities she has for the people and stop this nonsense."

Black Star paused from eating and gave Kid a confused look.

"Honestly, having such a ridiculous 'request'," Kid continued with rising frustration. "She's not the first one who's lost a partner and she certainly won't be the last."

Black Star blinked and gulped down his food. "Uh, we still talking about Atlantis?"

"Of course-" Kid cut himself off, expression going from one of irritation to one of exhaustion. "Ugh. I just hope that's all there is to it and there isn't something else going on, or at least we don't cause further problems down the line…"

"Like what?"

Kid shrugged. "It was the death of her partner that lead to this…" He gestured all around them. "To us being stranded here..."

"I guess..." Black Star slowly said and scratched his neck. "Hey, you're not like, blaming yourself or something-?"

"Of course not," Kid said with a scoff. Really, feeling guilty for being Death was a silly notion, and something Kid hadn't experienced and doubted he ever would. Honestly, the only time Kid had come close to 'woe is me' territory about his Grim Reaper nature was when Asura had been revealed to be his brother, and frankly, any person would -and should- do some soul-searching when told that the mad, apocalyptic entity they had been fighting against for centuries was their sibling.

But…

"It does not mean we can act rashly though. Otherwise…" His frown turned into a scowl. "Asura, the Kishin Eggs… Even Arachne managed to reach terrifying strengths by improving Eibon's designs, and the reason Eibon was on Earth in the first place..."

"Huh?"

"All I'm saying is that there is no room for error," Kid continued. "Now that this Goddess is involved, we have to be careful and come up with a solution that will ensure everyone's safety and transport Atlantis back to our world, and we have to execute such plan precisely and perfectly." He glanced around the dark Temple, the mystery of this place and the strange things that had been happening to Kid sending a shiver up his spine. "And part of that includes knowing as much as we can about this place."

Of course, having said the above now brought the conversation right back into...

"In any case, I'm… glad we managed to resolve our situation," Kid concluded, feeling any previous annoyance give way to a weary quietness.

Black Star blinked. "Our what now?"

"I mean the… crush," Kid hesitantly began, fully aware he was venturing into unknown territory. "You took the rejection well."

"Oh that, yeah, don't worry about it," Black Star said with a casual laugh. "I'm used to being rejected," Black Star continued and Kid's gave him a concerned look as Black Star took pause as well. "No wait that came out wrong…"

Kid stared at Black Star in expectation and slight worry. He had listened to Liz complain about guys being too 'chicken' to dare her multiple times before, but she had never sounded this resigned.

"Uh, what I was trying to say is that I've had crushes on people before and it didn't work out...?" Black Star said, more to himself as if he was trying to find the right words before going silent in thought.

Kid kept quiet, not wanting to break Black Star out of his thoughts. Though Kid knew where he stood, it was interesting to hear other people's perspectives on the matter.

"So, like, I like guys," Black Star began, "and uh, I kinda get that you're like, meh about the whole 'guy' category but I still like you, so whatever," he quickly added with a shrug.

Well, being 'meh' was an apt summary of Kid's gender identity he supposed, though... "Didn't you try to sneak into the girl's outdoor showering area a couple of times in the DWMA?"

"Yeah, but that was to mess with Tsubaki," Black Star said with a grin and Kid shot him a half-hearted glare. "Also, you barged right into the girls' showers too!"

Kid was about to object and claim that it wasn't his intention to intrude into anyone's privacy and that he had acted on the spur of the moment but… Black Star was technically right. Kid had walked right into that one.

"So, like, I've never been grief for the whole liking boys thing - I mean there was one time when some older jerk tried to make fun of me but I kicked his ass."

"As you do," Kid said with a nod.

Black Star flashed a grin, before sobering up. "But yeah, since you got more guys that like only girls than guys who also like guys, chances were that if I had a crush on some dude they wouldn't like me back. Uh, has something to do with math I think?" Black Star scratched his head before shrugging. "Anyways, it's happened a couple of times but hasn't stopped me from being friends or anything, so there."

Kid frowned. That last part sounded awfully suspicious. "Who was it?"

"Who was what?"

"The crush-turned-friend?"

Black Star shrugged and looked away. "Some guy."

Kid let out a non-committal sound. He rarely got the chance to joke around Black Star like this, but he would stop if he looked any more uncomfortable. "I told you about Liz."

"…Soul," Black Star eventually said and blew his cheeks. "But uh, guy obviously liked Maka from the start so that went nowhere."

Kid let out a small sympathetic laugh. "You do have the worst luck."

Black Star craned his neck back and groaned. "I know…"

"But good taste though," Kid said, gesturing to himself.

Black Star narrowed his eyes at Kid, but he was holding back a laugh as well. "Oh, and I'm the arrogant one."

Kid couldn't help but laugh again, and this time he was joined by Black Star.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 **:')**

 **Feedback is appreciated.**


	12. I'm Fading

**The soft lull of sleep.**

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 **Chapter 12: I'm Fading**

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The fire had gone out about an hour ago. All the fish had been eaten, though a fish smell did still pervade the place. Black Star didn't seem to mind though.

The two had made small talk, mostly cracking jokes or reminiscing about their time at the Academy. Kid got himself comfortable on a small mattress-like structure the Priest had given them. It was rough, and its seams looked about to come apart, but it was better than the cold hard stone of the Temple.

Kid had no idea how much time had passed and if they had talked the night away. Or at least Kid would like to imagine he could do so, but the more time passed the more tired he became, his mind slowing down and his eyelids becoming heavy.

Damn, so he was getting sleepy again. It was the first time he had experienced such a cycle since coming to existence and it was… disorienting. Not only that, but Kid also had no idea why he started feeling that way. In fact, Kid had found it easier to sleep while on this island, almost as if he was required to; however that didn't make sense. No matter what strange magic Atlantis was put under, Kid was a Grim Reaper. Mere magic tended to be ineffective on them.

Even stranger was that instead of Kid waking up with clarity as he was used to, his awakenings were disorienting, as if he was wretched away from a dream. He felt exhausted and his thoughts were scattered all over the place. Occasionally he would get flashes of the events that had happened the previous day, and among them would also be flashes of… 'old' memories. Memories that were the Grim Reaper's, but not Kid's.

Initially, Kid had tried to dismiss such feelings; the first night he and Black Star spent here, they had gone to sleep early and Kid hadn't noticed the effects. The second night, Kid had noticed that he was getting sleepy, but he had just had a fight with Black Star and hadn't paid it much attention.

Today though, when Kid was underwater… Water never had any effect on him and Kid had no idea why he had momentarily lost consciousness when diving and Black Star had to drag him out. Hell, Kid was assuming he had blacked out, because his memory of the time was muddled and faint like his awareness, as if he was peering into aforementioned 'old' memories.

It was also when Kid realised he had been feeling sleepy; the realisation, along with the building frustration led to another derailed argument with Black Star. Though Kid was glad they had managed to talk out what hopefully were most of their issues, Kid was still left with the mystery of what was happening to him in this mysterious island.

It was all rather… unnerving.

He hadn't told Black Star any of that. He saw no reason to. It would only worry him and confuse him. If Kid didn't know what was happening to himself, then who did?

Besides, Black Star hadn't said that Kid had done something weird at night and that was reassuring. The most Kid had to fear was him being unable to stand guard at night and risk being ambushed, but there didn't appear to be anyone who could pose a threat to them.

Yes, all they had to do was figure out a way to handle the Goddess, return to their world, and this strange sleeping patterns would be a thing of the past, a slight eccentricity of an area that would no longer exist. Kid would be back to normal and he wouldn't have to worry Black Star with his worries of being sleepy, of all things, along with the weird memories that came with his sleep (or even the creepy concept of such a type of memory to Black Star).

Next to Kid, Black Star, who had also made himself comfortable on the mattress, shifted and Kid felt him move away.

Kid turned only to see Black stretch and get up. "You're going away?"

"Yeah," Black Star said as he held back a yawn. "I mean, I don't wanna make it awkward by waking up with my foot on your face after the whole uh, 'talk' we had."

"Oh," Kid said, keeping his expression neutral though he very much felt like grimacing.

Truth be told, Kid had been thinking about Black Star's crush, just not in a conventional way. He was glad Black Star was understanding of Kid's feeling on the matter and appreciated Black Star for handling this in an unexpectedly mature way.

It was true that Kid held no romantic feelings for handling Black Star. However, it would be wrong to say that he saw Black Star as a typical friend, the same way he viewed Soul, Tsubaki, or even Maka. That wasn't to say that Kid didn't see value in so-called typical friendships; he loved his friends dearly and he was grateful for still being able to enjoy their companionship.

However, when it came to Black Star… Kid definitely didn't want things to back to the way they supposedly were, with Black Star simply declaring them rivals and then vanishing for a year. Yet even if Black Star didn't vanish this time and they interacted the same way they had before, that also wouldn't feel right.

"Wait." Kid caught Black Star's arm as he was about to walk away and Black Star looked back expectantly.

Kid paused with indecision. Problem was, Kid… didn't really have the words to describe what he wanted to say though. Kid wanted to make clear that it wasn't a romantic relationship as he didn't want Black Star to misunderstand him, but other than that…

"Did you get lonely?" Kid asked before he could stop himself. "When you were away?"

Black Star paused and looked away, his usual smile replaced by a thoughtful expression. "…Did you?" he eventually asked.

Well, that was pretty much a non-answer. Still, Kid was the one who brought it up, so he might as well answer first.

About loneliness… It was just rumours, but growing up, Kid had heard that Grim Reapers weren't supposed to get lonely. However, most such rumours were a hodgepodge of speculation that arose from a mix of pop-culture and growing up in a city not only used to Death's presence, but one where they held significant power.

Thing was, most of these rumours were easily debunked, with one example being that Grim Reapers couldn't cry; Kid had definitely cried when he was younger and Father, while not possessing actual tear ducts, could very much feel sorrow. Also Kid had cried that one time Liz had dragged them all to see The Fox and the Hound but he wasn't sure if that counted.

When it came to loneliness however, there hadn't been any sign Grim Reapers could get lonely, or at least one Kid had recognised. The only two acceptable points of reference Kid had had for such matters were himself and Father.

…Kid hadn't thought about Father getting lonely. They had never acted as such. But, the fact was that Father enjoyed Spirit's annoying presence, and they had overseen the founding of the Eight Great Warlords…

Maybe the rumour about Grim Reapers not being lonely came about because they couldn't be lonely when surrounded by everyone in Death City, acting both as leader and headmaster. From a simple citizen to their personal Deathscythe, Father was always in meetings or talks, or interacting with people in general. Even Kid, who growing up was relatively isolated from people, still interacted occasionally with Father's associates. Then he recruited Liz and Patty, had enrolled in the DWMA where he met everyone else including Black Star…

"I certainly can miss people," Kid eventually said.

"Yeah, me too," Black Star said shortly after.

The two stayed silent for a while.

"Liz and Patty are like family," Kid began, giving this another go. "And though I don't love Liz romantically, I do love her as a sibling. And I do believe something… similar can happen between us, if you wish so as well."

Black Star gave him a long look but didn't speak up.

"It's not romance. I want to make myself clear," Kid continued, not wanting to be misunderstood. "But I do enjoy spending time with you, even if you give me a heart attack at times," he muttered the last part. "And I do wish we were closer." Kid looked way with a pained smile. "I suppose, part of why I was so worried when you left was because I'd taken for granted I was able to see you any time and I did miss your company."

Black Star didn't answer immediately. He stayed silent and adopted a thoughtful look as he paced around the room. Kid watched him, arms folded on his lap. Well, no matter what Black Star answered, at least they would finally settle on… something.

Eventually, Black Star sniffed and Kid shot him a concerned look. "Are you feeling alright-?"

"Kid~!" Black Star exclaimed as he turned around and ran slow-motion towards Kid. He even had a wide goofy smile plastered on his face, and Kid was reminded of the very first day he had met him, as he and Soul dramatically ran to each other's arms.

Black Star's slow-motion run came to a halt, arms extended, when Kid didn't move due to his confusion. "Hey, you're supposed to shout back~"

"Oh, uh…" Kid awkwardly extended his arms. "Black Star..." He slowly said, extending the vowels with all the enthusiasm of a minimum wage worker. Would that do?

"Ugh," Black Star's goofy happy expression became a slight grimace, though there were still the hints of a smile. "At least you tried- Come here!"

Before Kid could react, Black Star had him in a rib-crushing hug. No seriously, Kid felt his ribcage shift as Black Star had apparently mistaken 'hugging' for 'strangulation but for torsos'. It was an honest mistake, as Kid sensed his soul pulse with affection.

Despite being unconventionally choked, Kid let out a laugh and hugged Black Star back, putting more pressure than usual to reciprocate the feeling.

They stayed like that for quite some time.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Black Star was pretty sure his arms had gone numbs and that both his legs had fallen asleep some time ago. He wondered if Kid felt the same way too. Oh well, in any case Black Star wouldn't be the first one to let go of the hug, though Kid also showed no sign of breaking it.

"You're not letting go, are you?" Kid asked him eventually.

"Nope!" Black Star exclaimed with a grin. Then he whispered in Kid's ear: "First one to let go is a loser."

"Unbelievable," Kid muttered with mock indignation but smiled nonetheless.

Black Star gave him a grin, but the moment he did that a yawn bubbled up in his throat and he blinked rapidly, trying to shoo away the sleepiness.

Kid shifted in the embrace and Black Star heard him yawn as well. Then he became briefly very still before his hold went lax and he retracted one arm. "Ugh this…"

Black Star's hold went lax as well and he leaned back to get a better look at Kid. "What?"

Kid rubbed his eyes, looking down at himself with mild annoyance. "I'm getting tired," he said as if the very concept was foreign to him.

…Wait, actually the concept of getting sleepy was foreign to Kid, he had told Black Star as much their first night here. Hell, he had been unable to wake up Kid during their second night on the island, when…

"Uh… is that bad?" Black Star began, uncertain.

"I'll be fine," Kid said as he kept rubbing his eyes. "I just need to make myself comfortable." He eyed the lightless reaches of the Temple with an apprehensive smile. "Wouldn't want to accidentally wake up inside the pool."

Black Star couldn't help but remember an earlier event where Kid had acted strange. "Was it like that when you were in the water?"

Kid stilled again and Black Star hoped he hadn't accidentally said something insensitive or anything like that.

"…I'm not sure," Kid eventually answered. "But I don't think it's something we should worry about. I just…" He yawned again and covered his mouth, "need to get some rest, that's all."

Despite Kid's forced casual tone, Black Star remained unconvinced. He was sure something was up with the island that caused Kid to do that. The two bastards back at the village had said as much, something about the dead God, him being responsible for nights and some other nonsense.

However, Black Star bringing up what he knew about the 'aberrant' nights would mean retelling the Archiereus' plans for Kid …

And well, Kid had said he would be fine. Really, the only thing had done during night time was sleep his butt off and also accidentally drop like a log in the middle of the sea, but Kid didn't need to breathe so he would have been fine then as well…

Most importantly, none of that would matter once Kid and Black Star left Atlantis; all they had to do was kick the Goddess' butt, they'd return home and the matter would be forgotten of. Problem solved.

But in any case…

"I can keep watch," Black Star offered.

Kid shook his head. "You're the one that needs to sleep…"

"Ha! I've surpassed God, and don't you forget that!" Black Star exclaimed with a wide grin. "Sides I pulled off a lot of all-nighters for exams before; this is nothing!"

Kid rolled his eyes.

"And we'll be getting comfy!" Black Star continued, sitting down on the mattress and leaning back against the wall. As the mattress was against the wall, Black Star would just have to bunch some clothing to make a very rudimentary pillow so his back wasn't against cold stone. "Like a sleepover, but better."

Kid spent a few moments in silence, pondering Black Star's words. Upon receiving another goofy grin from yours truly, Kid let out a sigh and settled on the mattress next to Black Star. "If you're sure."

Black Star didn't have much time to ponder his triumph, Kid lay further down. He rested his head against Black Star's shoulder with half-lidded eyes, on account of the latter having hogged anything that could be used as a pillow.

This was… surprisingly tactile. Then again, considering how the Late Lord Death was fond of Reaper chops when dealing with annoying humans and also used to shower his son with awkward parental displays of affection, he supposed Kid had gotten used to not only receiving, but giving it as well.

In any case, it felt nice so Black Star like it. Most importantly though…

"I'm gonna be the big spoon," Black Star whispered triumphantly to himself. Ha, take that society with its expectation of short people-!

"What?" Kid mumbled.

"Nothing!" Black Star quickly said. "And don't worry, I'll keep an eye out if you sleepwalk or that creepy Priest shows up or anything."

Kid let out a small smile as he closed his eyes and shifted to himself more comfortable.

Satisfied, Black Star looked ahead at the darkness of the Temple apprehensively. It wasn't as if he was scared from the lack of light, or from someone hostile showing up; Black Star could and would kick anyone's ass to next Sunday.

Thing was, the most likely thing that would happen for the next who knows how many hours nothing would be. Black Star would be bored out of his mind, having nothing to do and also being unable to move in lieu of Kid using him as a pillow. Maybe once Kid was pretty soundly asleep he could carefully disentangle himself and start doing push-ups to pass the time.

Barely a few minutes had passed when a strange sensation became apparent to Black Star. There was a small pressure all around him as if he was underwater. It came and went in quick, barely perceptible waves, like a gentle but persistent vibration.

Black Star eyed the wall behind him, wondering if this was the Temple being weird again.

Soon however, he realized that the small vibrations he felt weren't physical per se, but spiritual. Was Black Star's soul doing something weird then? The only thing he could compare this feeling to was a relatively much less intensive version of when he would resonate with Tsubaki.

So this strange feeling was a Soul Resonance then? But with whom? Black Star didn't have Soul Perception -not that he needed to anyway- so he had no clue if there was anyone else here…

Black Star looked down at Kid, who despite his slight frown, had tangled his limbs to Black Star's, unnoticed. Yeah, if Black Star concentrated besides the strange pattern of vibrations, the feeling he got was the same when he was resonating with Kid in a Team Resonance.

However, this feeling was different than previous recollection of Resonance. Where a typical resonance would energise him and remind him Black Star could take on the world and win, this constant buzz was strangely calming. In fact it reminded Black Star of… purring.

Black Star looked down at Kid. "You sound like a cat."

Truth be told, he didn't think 'sound' was the correct sense to attribute to the spiritual buzzing. However, it did feel similar to that one time a stray cat had ventured in his room and sat on his lap, but this one reverberated across his soul and as a result, his body as well.

Kid shifted, and Black Star realised that he hadn't quite completely fallen asleep yet, though he was on the verge of it.

"Oh," Kid mumbled as he shifted and Black Star felt the vibration falter, the connection breaking. "Sorry, I didn't mean to, must have been-"

"Nah, it's cool," Black Star quickly said. "Just haven't felt that before. I like it," he added, sincere. A coward may have called it spooky but this was Kid, so it wasn't actually creepy. Just nice. Weird, but nice. Like Kid.

Black Star vaguely reminded Kid mentioning something along the lines of Grim Reapers being primarily spiritual beings. In that case, maybe that was just one of the ways Kid showed affection. Hell, if Black Star's guess was correct, Kid doing that must have meant that he felt comfortable Black Star, so it was a plus in his book.

"Thank you," Kid mumbled, his voice becoming lower by the second. "It's… less scary now…"

Kid went still, and Black Star would be worried had he not known that this was the norm for him. He was a bit more worried at the last thing Kid had said, but Black Star would also be off-put if he felt sleepy for no reason.

Yes, it would all be fine.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

An indeterminate amount of time had passed. The buzzing as stringer now. Black Star's eyelids felt heavy. He was pretty sure the buzzing was making him sleepy as well.

Black Star thought about shaking Kid in case that got him to stop but decided against it. He had surpassed God, so he wouldn't let a Grim Reaper to get him to sleep.

The buzzing was getting louder.

Maybe he should get up and do some exercise to get adrenaline going. However, Kid's hold on him was pretty firm, asleep of not.

Oh well, it wouldn't hurt… if… he…closed his eyes… just for a moment…

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 **Have some cuddles y'all, you're gonna need them for what's coming next :P**

 **Feedback is appreciated.**


	13. Faded

**Dragged into lightless depths.**

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 **Chapter 13: Faded**

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Black Star was stuck between sleeping and waking up when someone next to him moved. His first thought was to complain and let out a groan that resembled 'five more minutes'. He had barely managed to crack an eye half-open to find himself in an unfamiliar environment. It was… a room of sorts, like the ones back home.

Black Star was on a comfortable couch, one that looked like it belonged to an antique store. An equally ancient coffee table was on one side of the couch. Opposite to it was a clean fireplace. The floor was made of a polished white marble. A soft trickle alerted him to rivulets of water spread chaotically on the floor, as if a water pipe had burst and the water had nowhere left to go.

Black Star blearily frowned. The antiquated but tasteful décor, the colour scheme... Was he in Death Manor from back home? The furniture looked different than the one he was used to, not to mention the presence of water.

Black Star looked at the room again. Last time he had been in Kid's place, the area looked different. Liz's fashion magazines had been placed haphazardly on coffee tables, along with Patty's drawing supplies. Kid would occasionally leave books on the couch or in any other area that hadn't been taken over by the sisters. That was nothing to say about the leaking water, which wouldn't exist if Kid had any say on the matter. Also, Black Star wasn't sure about what room he was in, but there should be some device newer than the radio in here; a landline, a TV, something.

Black Star was reminded of a tour he had been on when he was younger, where the history teacher had been telling them about the many different places in Death City. The teacher had droned on that the Death Manor had initially been a boarding house for all the new groups arriving in Death City, and how later on it had been used as dormitories, before the Academy's further expansion and improvements over building technology led to it being converted to a residence for the Grim Reaper. This room looked like on the old photographs they had been shown, of a common room before having been renovated into a modern living room.

There was a soft rushing sound as more water begin to fill the room, washing away the dust and slowly flooding the area. Black Star's eyes landed on an old flaying wall, where water flowed from. Looking up, the water seemed to come through the seams of the house, as if it had been sunk.

Perturbed, Black Star tried to shift, to get, up, but found himself unable to move. As more feeling returned to his body, he realized that he was lying on something soft, and there was something on his hand and neck that held him firmly in place. The water's level reached the edge of the couch seat.

With increasing alarm, Black Star tried to move, but to no avail. His eyelids still felt heavy. The water started pouring into the couch's seat. It was ice cold and the faint light in the room did not penetrate its surface.

Finally, Black Star managed to move his hand, in jerky uncoordinated bouts. Unable to see exactly what was below or above him, Black Star searched the area with his hand, managing to make it land to whatever was holding him down. The water now threatened to cover his nostrils, and Black Star already had to keep his mouth shut.

Hands. Hands were holding him down. Black Star made out cold skin, thin fingers…

So someone was holding him down. What the hell was that bastard's deal, whoever they were?

Screw this, Black Star wasn't going to just let himself be drowned by this weird room or wherever he was. First, he would make himself move, then kick the ass of the guy holding him down, then kick the ass of the room itself and get out of this sinking… whatever.

Just when the water covered his nose, Black Star's soul let out a desperate pulse that coursed through him like a bolt of electricity, making him regain control of his limbs.

Still not able to see his attacker, Black Star threw a blind punch above him. He let out a smirk when he felt it connect, making the hands holding him let go and allowing Black Star to roll away and stand up straight, no longer in danger of drowning.

More murky water rushed in from newly-formed cracks in the wall, pouring in from the peeled wallpapers, lifting Black Star up. He couldn't see the floor anymore.

Black Star coughed as some water had entered his lungs, but he held himself high, fists clench in preparation of punching the dude holding him down...

Kid.

Kid was the one standing before him. Or rather, someone that looked like Kid. His face was obscured by a long shadow; his hands lay limply at his frame as the water pooled around his waist, unaffected by the rushing water. Behind him, the edge of the wallpaper peeled away, revealing only more darkness.

More water rushed in, pushing Black Star against the ceiling. This wasn't right. This wasn't Kid. No, the person before Black Star wasn't Kid the same way this room. He wasn't in Kid's living room, the same way he wasn't facing Kid. It was as if his brain was trying to make sense of something incomprehensible, resulting in a shoddy visual translation.

The room around Black Star flickered, with the floor disappearing into a dark abyss, the cracked walls replaced by a circular stone wall, and the ceiling giving way to a murky underwater view of a disappearing surface.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

Black Star woke up with a gasp. That had immediately turned out to be a mistake, as he saw his last few precious air bubbles float towards an unseen surface, away from him.

Black Star was underwater, so deep that he couldn't see the surface. A circular wall stretched around him. Was that the bottom of the well Kid and Black Star had slept close to?

Black Star reached up with his hand, trying to scramble his way to the surface but someone, _something_ , was dragging him down. His lungs ached.

Black Star trashed, but only managed to switch positions with the one dragging him down. Kid's blank face come into view, obscuring the surface above him, his eyes and Lines of Sanzu faintly glowing in the encroaching darkness.

At first Black Star thought he was hallucinating, or still dreaming, but as his hand reached out and touched Kid's face, the reality of the situation came crashing down on Black Star.

Black Star thought of mouthing id's name, but if he dared open his mouth he'd take in a big gulp of water and it'd be all over for him. He thought of punching Kid, but the water's resistance and his own fatigue were catching up, fast. His soul thrummed in desperation, Wavelength gathering at his fingertips at loss at what else to do.

Black Star kept staring at Kid's face. Their eyes met and he couldn't look away, but not because of betrayal, or confusion, but because there was something else in there, another presence that Black Star couldn't pin down because he was drowning -

The resonance between Kid and him echoed in Black Star's eardrums, though it had gone from a soft lull to a persistent disquieting thrum, scrambling his thoughts and hazing his mind.

Black Star had no breath left. His limbs felt, heavy unresponsive.

The Grim Reaper dragged Black Star further down until something sharp dug at Black Star's back, before more of the offending material became visible at the edges of his vision.

Bones. Bones and rotting flesh. Oher drowned corpses, resting forever at the bottom of the well. Each one was piled over the other, the number greater than Black Star had the luxury to count. A small fish poked out of the hollows of a skull, picking off a bit of muscle that still clung on to the bone.

The edges of Black Star's vision grew dark. His strength was fading.

Black Star couldn't help but take in a deep gulp of water, body convulsing at the motion, but he had to breathe, and once he took in the first fake breaths more involuntarily followed, each sending a wave of pain as his lungs protested at being flooded and his hear faltered.

With the last of his strength, Black Star pushed his hand against Kid's face and unleashed as much of his Soul Wavelength. Kid – or more correctly, whoever it was pushing him down because something was wrong and Kid would never try to drown him – recoiled from the touch, letting go of Black Star as his body pushed against the pie of bones, raising a cloud of sand.

Black Star's last sight was of Kid – and it had been Kid this time, cause his eyes had gone wide and scared as he scrambled before noticing Black Star – taking hold of him and mouthing his name before the darkness overtook him, deep underwater.

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 **Something buried deep. Someone long gone.**


	14. Gasping

**Not too late.**

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 **Chapter 14: Gasping**

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Kid came to be with his hands around Black Star's throat, his Wavelength coursing through him. Kid recoiled, more out of surprise than pain. Black Star's wavelength was sudden, energetic and stinging, reflective of his character, but this was weak, as if stung by static electricity instead of lightning.

Then the rest of Kid's mind caught up to his surroundings, of the water and darkness and floating decaying flesh coming up from piles and piles of half-eaten bodies covering the well's bottom, of Black Star pressed against the protruding bones, of Black Star's half-lidded eyes staring at him before closing completely while Kid scrambled to pull him close.

The moment Kid had a firm hold on Black Star, he acted on the opposite of his instinct and activated his jets, rocketing them off the well and into land. As Kid came down as gently as his frantic mind would allow him to, he realised the sudden acceleration had been dangerous; but Black Star shouldn't have spent a second more underwater. He also realised Black Star wasn't breathing.

Shoving all questions and confusion aside, Kid begun chest compressions before taking a few moments to clear out his own water-clogged lungs.

All the while, his previous questions resurfaced, spurned by Kid's rising dread his clunky technique. How had he and Black Star ended up deep in the well? Had Kid been attacking Black Star? Was he pushing too hard or not hard enough? How many repetitions were there supposed to be between each rescue breathing? Why hadn't Kid woken up sooner?

There was movement behind a pillar by Kid's side and he acted on instinct this time, his Wavelength forming into sharp-edged shadows that lunged at the culprit and dragged them out of their hiding place, revealing the Priest's form.

" _You-!_ " Kid let out but cut himself off to do another rescue breath. Black Star didn't stir.

His shadows dragged the Priest closer, until he was in front of Kid who still had most of his attention in trying to resuscitate Black Star.

Kid switched to chest compressions and glanced up at the pinned Priest. It must be hard to appear intimidating while trying to resuscitate someone, but judging by the Priest's wide eyes, the Grim Reaper was doing an excellent job at it. Still, she only hung limply, blinking rapidly between Kid, Black Star and the shadows.

" _What did you do_?" Kid dragged each word before letting out a curse -he had lost count of his compressions. Fuck, Kid was estimating how many were supposed to be between each set but Black Star hadn't woken up yet and he had lost track of time…

"Don't you dare die on me Black Star," Kid grit out with hollow anger. He switched to another round of rescue breathing. Still no reaction.

As Kid began another set of compressions, he cursed himself for not paying more attention to first aid classes – he knew they were important and it was vital skill, but he details kept slipping his mind no matter how much he tried…

"You've survived so much worse, I'd be embarrassing if drowning is what got you…" Kid continued as another set was finished. He didn't dare use his Soul Perception for fear of seeing Black Star's soul, so vibrant and bright, dulled and stilled by…

Another set complete. Kid's movements slowed. "Come on you stubborn idiot, you keep saying you've surpassed me…" Kid was pushing too hard against Black Star's chest. At this point, was he doing more harm than good?

Kid stared at his hands, recalling them wrapped around Black Star's throat.

Black Star spasmed, his whole body seizing up before throwing up several gulps of water and it was the most comforting sight Kid had witnessed on this damned island.

Kid pulled back, but Black Star stopped shortly after, so he resumed his presses, wanting to cry in relief each time one of them resulted in more expelled water. Black Star kept throwing up more water, more than any human lung should have the capacity for, but Black Star was always an infuriatingly extraordinary person.

After seemingly an eternity, Black Star started breathing on his own. His eyes were closed but at least his chest steadily rose and fell, even if a bit too slow for Kid's liking.

His hands were resting against Black Star's chest when he noticed the healing bruises and scratches on them. Had Kid been attacked before waking up? He and Back Star were alone in the well…

Oh.

Black Star. His Soul Wavelength attack must have been a last resort move, his last attempt to fight back against…

Kid retracted his hands. Were they fighting against each other in well? Kid didn't remember anything, and any theories of controlling him were impossibly frightening, as that would something stronger than the Madness of Order itself…

Kid's shadows alerted him to slight resistance, and he looked ahead at the Priest, straining against the restraints. Kid's first thought was to have the shadows restrict further, but a longer look at the Priest's frail joints as his shadows railed across them made him reconsider.

The shadows morphed back into immaterial Wavelength before trailing protectively closer to Black Star, letting the priest collapse against the floor. Kid watched her tenderly pick herself up the floor carefully, ready to restraint her again if she tried anything.

" _What happened_?" Kid asked, glancing between her and Back Star -still breathing, thank goodness. Maybe he was being too cruel, but all Kid could remember was her rudeness towards Black Star, her cryptic remarks towards them...

A terrible thought crossed Kid's mind. His hands had been around Black Star's throat.

"Did I do this?"

The Priest didn't respond, not making a move ever since falling to the floor. She was conscious, as evidenced by her breathing and slight movement, yet she stayed silent.

Right. Waste of time as always, and Kid had more important things to care about, looking over Black Star once again. He was breathing but he hadn't woken up. Was he still in danger? Had Kid overlooked something?

"This," the Priest finally spoke up, slow and uncertain, "this isn't usually what happens-"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Kid snapped back, not looking up to her even as his Wavelength materialised into cackling shadows. "I want answers, not useless cryptic remarks-"

He went silent as voices echoed across the Temple's smooth stone.

The Priest stood up with renewed vigour. "Intruders-!"

The Grim Reaper's shadows pinned her face-down on the floor again.

"You're staying put," Kid said as he stared at the direction of the voices, more of his Wavelength materialising around him and Black Star.

A quick glance with his Soul Wavelength revealed the approaching souls were human.

Kid stayed by Black star's side as the two villagers they had met before appeared around the corner carrying torches. Though their robes hid their physical appearance, Kid recognised the souls as the duo that had been accompanying them during their short stay at the village.

The village! They should know how to treat drowning victims, even if their methods were archaic!

The mystery as to why the two just showed up did not escape Kid's mind -had they been followed?- but took a backseat considering Black Star's condition.

"We shouldn't be here, Archiereus," the shorter figure let out as they walked carefully, hugging the wall.

"Nonsense, we have to get him out and back into our village where it's safe," the taller figure interrupted them, rambling to themselves. "We were so close, you saw how the two acted around each other, he wasn't like the all the other poor souls…"

Kid was about to ask for help and give away his position -he and the Priest were in complete darkness- but paused at their words.

The Priest let out a grunt as she tried to shift from her position causing the two figure to startle and approach them.

The taller figure's fre light fell on Kid and they gasped. "No!"

The younger disciple dashed to them, stilling when they too noticed Kid and Black Star "What happened-?"

"What always happens-!" the taller figure despaired.

The numbness in Kid's body ebbed away to be replaced with relief and rising dread. "He's alive," Kid managed to let out, cutting them off. "But he needs medical attention." One of his hands had been holding Black Star's and it was ice cold. Should he have tried to warm him up? "Please help him."

Why had Black Star made them leave the village? The locals weren't, they _couldn't_ be of any threat to them.

The two figures stood frozen and Kid's dread gave way to frustration, then anger, then fear at what this situation must look like to them.

"I woke up to find us both underwater," _with my hands around his throat,_ left unsaid. Kid's own throat tightened. "I have no idea what happened before that. I got him out as soon as possible and managed to stabilise him, but he needs care I cannot provide." Kid's voice broke slightly at the end, but a small pause stabilised it. "So _please_."

The two figures kept staring. After seemingly an eternity, the shorter figure stepped forward. The Archiereus put up a hand to stop her, but they pushed through and kneeled by Black Star, whose breaths were steady but slow, occasionally gurgling. Kid's shadows retracted back to his form, sans the ones holding the Priest down.

The short figure pressed a hand over Black Star's forehead, the other pressing a finger against his throat.

Right, checking his pulse. With Black Star breathing Kid had completely forgotten that, another mistake on his part.

"We should get him back to our village," the shorter figure said after a minute. "He will recover, but he will need plenty of rest, and may catch a disease,"

"Of course," Kid immediately said and made a motion to scoop up Black Star.

The Archiereus took a step forward. "We should carry him-"

"I won't hurt him," Kid snapped back but smoothed his glare into a neutral expression. Being stressed did not give him the right to be rude to others. "I can get there faster and without disturbing him much."

The two figures looked at each other, confusion emanating from their souls and Kid's dread returned. Their previous words reverberated in Kid's head.

"What did you mean when you said 'what always happens'?" Kid asked up, startling the two. All he had was insinuations, scattered and missing puzzle pieces.

The dead god and the mourning goddess, a duality halved, their supposed Champions, the strange night-time fatigue that plagued Kid, the disorienting mornings where Kid awoke with vague foreign memories, as if coming out of a dissociative episode.

 _His hands around Black Star's throat._

Kid realised hadn't slept while on this island. The loss of consciousness was the only superficial similarity in the dreamless state he'd ended up, as if ceasing to exist. Even now, Kid's numbness was due to fatigue, and it was his worry that kept him awake. With the relief of the villagers' presence, his eyelids felt heavy again, and…

Their previous words echoed in Kid's head.

"How long have we been on this island?"

If Black Star's goal as Champion was to 'romance' then what was Kid's supposed goal? Why had their words suggested Black Star wasn't the only Champion? Were there others? Had there been others?

 _His hands around Black Star's throat._

Where did all the bodies in the well come from?

Their previous words repeated in Kid's head.

"How long have I been here?"

\\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/

 **Life is still a mess, but I've gotten back into writing. Hopefully updates will be more regular. Feedback is appreciated.**


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